The city has chosen a contractor to design the new Naples Pier.
At last week's meeting, City Council unanimously agreed to award a contract for design services to Turrell, Hall &Associates in the amount of $1,478,400.
Chad Merritt, the city's director of parks and recreation, described it as a "big milestone."
The iconic pier took a beating from Hurricane Ian in September, forcing a rebuild.
According to its winning proposal, Turrell, Hall & Associates has lined up a team of experts for the job who've worked on more than six pier projects over the past five years, including modifications to the Naples Pier.
The local marine and environmental consulting business will work with seven other firms, as subcontractors, to get the work done in six months.
One of the primary reasons it won the contract: Its promise to retain the pier's essence.
In its proposal, the contractor pledged to maintain some of the pier's historic features, including its Polynesian roof lines and its wood decking and railing – and to avoid an "all-concrete design" and an "industrial aesthetic," such as what's seen at the pier in Clearwater, a few hours up the coast.
Even before the city chose the company as the designer, Turrell, Hall had started proposing ideas, following its completion of an extensive damage assessment that determined the beloved pier must be rebuilt.
In its pitch for the design contract, Turrell, Hall stated:
"The Naples Pier has been part of our lives both personal and professional. The excitement this project has broughtto our team is beyond words. We have treated this project as our own and will continue to do so. This is not justanother project for us, as many of us have grown up here, we are invested in the history and future of the NaplesPier, the heart and soul of our town."
The new design would include stronger concrete beams and pilings, which are essentially the pier's legs.
The new pier would be elevated, to protect it from high water and wave action in the future.
The redesign could include the addition of a raised gazebo, lower fishing decks and "bump outs," or balconies, to allow for better views and provide more seating, with benches and railings off to the sides. These are a few of the ideas Turrell, Hall has already tossed around.
Survey results will help guide redesign of Naples Pier
The city recently completed a design survey, receiving 10,694 responses, mostly from city and county residents, but from visitors too. Turrell, Hall will take the results into account in its conceptual design.
At last week's City Council meeting, Merritt described the response to the survey as "phenomenal," exceeding expectations, with replies coming in from the young, the old and the in between. The city involved high schoolers in the effort.
The Naples Youth Council, made up sophomores and juniors from Naples High, created the survey.
In the survey, nearly 36% of respondents chose the pier's unique design and historical value as its most important components – before Ian left the landmark in shambles.