The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current, August 26, 2019, Image 5

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The Islander., August 26, 2019, Image 5

About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2019)

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Newspaper Page TextJIA golf master plan Continued from Page 1 analysis. The next step didn’t come in a hurry. In June 2019 the JIA issued a Re quest for Proposals (RFP) for a Golf Master Plan. Fifteen responsive proposals were received from firms all over the Southeast. Five firms were invited to present their proposals. After the presenta tions were independently scored and compared, a $98,500 proposal from Vincent Design LLC, a golf course architecture firm based in Augusta, Georgia, was selected. The master plan process will take approximately four months to com plete and include opportunities for public input. Jekyll currently has 63 holes of golf. The 2017 NGF report states: “The Great Dunes course is historic, Olean der a wonder of nature and the Pine Lakes / Indian Mound courses with classic Dick Wilson / Joe Lee designs. However, golf has changed dramati cally in the last decade and as we look to the future of golf on Jekyll Island, there is genuine concern that the full 63-hole allotment may not be a good match for the current state of golf demand. The cost to properly main tain a complement of 63 holes of golf is large and growing. “The NGF review in 2016-17 shows that the money being spent to main tain the property is not sufficient to uphold the desired quality, and the ac tual money spent is much closer to a proper 36-hole or 45-hole budget. Given this and the change in de mand, the NGF sees a 45-hole golf facility, that includes Great Dunes, as a much better option for the Jekyll Island Golf Course to provide a more sustainable golf facility for the longer term going forward.” Per the JIA fiscal year June 30, 2019 consolidated income and ex pense statement, Jekyll’s golfing en terprise lost $308,000 and income was $120,000 less than fiscal year 2018. The RFP asked for “master plan de velopment, especially with emphasis in golf course redevelopment, layout, redesign, not limited to course rede sign, but all ancillary infrastructure, including the club house, other facili ties, practice ranges and greens. “The JIA is interested in hear ing from firms that have an eye on the future of golf and are visionary in their approach to future use of the golf courses and any proposed reuse of acreage. “Proposers are encouraged to con sider partnering with firms outside the golf industry with expertise in planning and design of parks or other outdoor recreation spaces to optimize proposals for the reuse of any acreage with the mission and goals of the JIA.” In other business: The JIA ap proved three projects for state funding. 2020 State Projects Proposed for State Funding Consideration: expan sion of the campground; construction of a new public safety complex; and a new, not yet finalized attraction at Summer Waves Water Park. The campground expansion, which is a top priority for the JIA, will require less land than first thought. The cur rent plan is to expand the campground an additional 14 acres which is down from 20 acres. Initial conversations have begun with the Georgia State Patrol and the Governor’s office about a new public safety complex in a location that would maintain the JIA’s ISO favorable rat ing. The location under consideration, Shell Road behind the Mini Golf Course, is not definite. According to JIA Executive Director Jones Hooks, the three requests total $6,255 million and require a $512,000 match from the JIA. The board also approved $916,780 August 26, 2019, The Islander, Page 5 capital equipment purchases and special projects; $241,000 for water / wastewater equipment purchases and projects; $141,000 for fire department purchases. While the JIA approved the finan cial terms of the lease for the Moorings at Jekyll, the board also heard from several residents about the wisdom of the project. The Moorings will be a three build ing, 48 condominium development be hind the Jekyll Marina. One resident commented on the more frequent high tide levels, the in tracoastal waterway and asked that the JIA consider if the Moorings “is the right thing for Jekyll.” According to Hooks the lease can not be finalized until all documents and reports are reviewed by the De sign Review Committee and a final recommendation is made to the JIA Board. A lease recommendation from the Design Review Committee can only occur following a response from The Moorings, LLC to the final EAP (envi ronmental assessment procedure) Re port which is still in preparation. Also the Design Review Committee must complete a review of The Moor ings construction documents which were just received last Thursday. JWSC smoke testing Continued from Page 1 pipe joints and other gaps. During times of heavy rainfall the ground and storm water that gets into the system can a have large im pact on the treatment capacities at the Academy Creek (Brunswick and mainland) and Dunbar Creek (St. Si mons Island) treatment plants. In order to find the leaks in the system, a non-toxic smoke and dye test is performed. The testing in Brunswick and the north mainland will be done in 25 meter basins at a cost of just over $231,000 by the lower bidder, Public Utility Management Planning Ser vices, Inc. (PUMPS) of Hollywood, Florida. PUMPs also scored the highest on the JWSC staff evaluation. JWSC Interim Executive Director Andrew Burroughs said the city and county fire departments would be notified of the testing and door hang ers announcing the project would be placed at every residence in the ar eas to be tested. He said the smoke is non-toxic, but it is visible. The overall project time is 180 days with the smoke testing taking eight weeks and the rest of the time for the report. • In other business, JWSC Direc tor of Engineering Todd Kline, P.E. updated the Facilities Committee on the joint City / JWSC L St. drainage and water line project. The current delay on Brunswick’s L St. drainage project is due to the Atlanta Gas Light Company install ing new gas lines. The L St. project is being done in conjunction with a water line re placement by the JWSC. Kline told the facilities committee that utility lines were located at the start of the project back in March. He said Atlanta Gas Light initially planned to rehabilitate their lines. However the company recently de cided to replace them instead, which is taking longer. Kline said the city has approved 155 Newman Drive Brunswick, Ga. 31520 • 912-264-3230 office •www.thebodyshopbwkga.com 24 hour towing Mon - Friday 8 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Proudly serving S.E. Georgia Since 1980 We specialize in larger vehicle repair. • Roof repair • Complete panels the change and Atlanta Gas is ex pected to start the new work on Monday, August 26. Kline said the gas company esti mated a three week time frame to get the work done. Once it’s done the contractor will get the drainage and water line work back on track. Kline said even with the delay of about a month and half, the contrac tor is confident they can still finish the project on the original 365 day time frame. HARTRIDGEXREALTY Connecting with Community Terri Hartridge Owner/Broker 912-258-1004 Call/Text terri@hartridgerealty.com A full service local real estate company founded on honesty & integrity. 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