Work on the $322,000 improvement project at Selma Marina will begin shortly after the Christmas boat parade, according to Selma Director of Planning and Development Danielle Wooten.
The contractor, Tri County Construction, will start working on the project after Dec. 10, “But work will really get started after the first of the year,” Wooten said.
The first shipment of components for the marina’s new dock arrived Dec. 1, and the rest should be delivered this week, Wooten said. The first thing the contractor will do is to take up the old pilings then install new ones.
The dock is the first phase of construction. Improvements will also be made to the pavilion, followed by improvements to the road, parking lot and landscaping. Some potholes on the road leading to the marina have already been patched.
The Marina Enhancement Project was originally announced in August 2022. The plan was for construction to begin the first of this year, but there was almost a year’s delay. Some speculated the Jan. 12 tornado caused the delay, but in a previous interview City Councilman Clay Carmichael explained that it took time to complete the design and then adjust the plans to accommodate the budget.
Funding for the project comes from a $200,000 Boating Infrastructure Grant through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. This is the same type of grant that built the highly successful “T” pier at Roland Cooper State Park in Camden.
The City of Selma is putting up $67,000, and the State of Alabama is donating $25,000 to the project. The partnership for this project was sparked by a $30,000 donation from the 13 annual Alabama Wildlife Federation Wild Game Cook Offs. Central Alabama Farmer’s Co-op General Manager Tim Wood, who headed up the annual Alabama Wildlife Federation Wild Game Cook Off, donated their profits to the project, and the state’s other cookoffs followed.
Officials hope improving the marina will bring in tourist dollars. The city wants to attract big fishing tournaments. Alabama Bass Trail Director Kay Donaldson said, “Bass fishing tournaments are a valued piece of business for the weekend Thursday through Sunday time frame for hotels and attractions.”
Donaldson explained that most tournaments attract between 65 to 150 boats, and each boat comes with at least two people. Their families usually come along for the weekend. They will spend money at hotels, restaurants, gasoline stations, grocery stores as well as historic and tourist attractions. On average these tournaments can have an economic impact anywhere from $150,000 to as much as $225,000 in an area.
Over some three or so years, Bridgeport Landing in Camden got a major face lift. Roland Cooper State Park had the “T” pier build. Camden Mayor Phil Creswell said there has been a definite increase in the number of people shopping and spending money in Camden as a direct result of the fishing tournaments the new landings attract. Demopolis City Landing also got a major facelift, and it too has begun to attract tournaments.
Improvements to the docks also encourage more pleasure boating, which can also lead to economic growth.
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