Tale of Two Marina Projects – Pittsburg and Antioch
Pittsburg: The City of Pittsburg has just put out to bid a Central Harbor Dock Replacement project, Engineer’s estimate $1,900,000 – with the city hoping that, due to the current poor economy, the bids will come in lower than estimated.
The bid specifies, “The work of the project consists in general of removal of old wooden docks and pilings, manufacturing and installing new berthing system including all new docks, all necessary utilities, and construction of a new floating restroom, all complete in place and ready for use including all related incidentals and other items of work as specified.”
Antioch: The City of Antioch is finally getting around to building a new four-lane boat launch at the city marina six years after receiving $3.7 million state grant from the California Dept. of Boating and Waterways. By the time city leaders got around to approving the $3.2 million dollar boat launch facility project in June 2010, they found themselves short about $376,000 in funding, necessitating limiting the launch to 3 lanes and no public restrooms.
Fortunately for boaters, the state Dept. of Boating and Waterways stepped forward again and gave the city additional grant funds to complete the project based on the original plans.
Incidentally, the Antioch Marina project includes the paving over of Barbara Price park for parking purposes. Frankly, the park was misnamed from the get go. Former Councilwoman Barbara Price was supposed to oversee the original Waterfront Commission of which I was a member. She never attended one of our meetings.
She was also on the council’s subcommittee studying solid waste issues and was questioned by fellow councilman Frank Stone regarding the propriety of her going on an Austrian junket as the guest of California Co-Composting Systems Inc. She was also criticized for allegedly receiving a job offer to do community relations work for the Marina Del Rey-based firm.