The planning for Liberty County’s Cattle Hammock Marina, made possible by a $35,190 coastal-incentive grant, is delayed but under way.
County engineer Trent Long on Feb. 8 updated the board of commissioners on the planning status for the 2-acre tract on Cattle Hammock Road. The original timetable for the study called for the project to start in October 2012, Long said. The revised schedule has it beginning this month. Under the new timetable, the complete construction plans and permitting should be available by January 2014. Articles and advertisements related to the project should take place in September.
The process includes some environmental studies and public hearings.
“It’s a raw tract of land right now. There’s nothing there,” Long said. “What we’ll end up doing is developing, through this grant process, a workable plan of what we want to do and what we want to build out there, as well as getting construction plans and permits to build a marina in this area.”
Long said there still are no identifiable construction funds, but the grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Program eases the planning process. It does require a 100 percent match, which is provided in in-kind services.
County Administrator Joey Brown reminded the board that the marina concept originated with the Department of Natural Resources.
“There are some federal monies that are available for construction of activities like these, so while we have not been promised them yet, there’s a real good chance that we can apply and get some of those when the time comes,” Brown said.
Long added that a DNR project advocate has been searching for grants that may apply.
The plan is to construct about a 280-foot hoist that will launch boats into the water with access to four docks.
“We were looking at trying to accommodate up to 32-foot boats, so it’s a pretty sizeable hoist and a pretty heavy hoist,” Long added. “It’s very doable. It’s a relatively long hoist to get back out there because we’ve got to get out to where we are in deep enough water to make it work.”
The launch point is intended to place boats into water that is about 20 feet deep.
In addition to construction funding, the county still needs to determine how the site will be staffed, whether it will sell fuel and how the fees for use will be structured.