With the $6 million project to renourish Coquina Beach and a .6 mile portion of Anna Maria beach under way, bid packets were mailed to about 15 companies for the second phase of nourishment expected to start this summer.
Rick Spadoni of Coastal Planning & Engineering, Manatee County’s contracted marine engineer, said companies would be bidding on installation of a geo-thermal tube around the jetty on the north side of Longboat Pass, as well as construction of an artificial reef near the pass off Coquina Beach.
Spadoni estimated the second phase will cost about $6.2 million, with the majority of costs attributed to the reef portion of the project. The geo-thermal tube cost is estimated at $130,000.
Manatee County could build an 8-acre reef if the price is right, Spadoni added.
The county’s contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that permitted this year’s beach renourishment calls for a minimum 4.9-acre reef, and up to an 8-acre reef.
“A large part of any bid like this is the startup cost,” Spadoni said, and the county could get a very low price to add the additional 3.1 acres of reef that would keep sand from shifting into Longboat Pass and provide a recreational dive site.
Spadoni said contractors were asked to bid on construction of both a 4.9-acre reef and an 8-acre reef.
The start-up cost would be about the same for either size reef, he said. Spadoni said he anticipated the bids would be opened in late May.
“We’re looking for the lowest responsible bidder with artificial reef-building experience,” he said.
The reef specifications call for numerous 4- to 5-ton limestone boulders to be spaced about a half-foot apart on the sea bottom. Spadoni said limestone is “the best material for an artificial reef because it’s natural and really attracts coral. It’s what a natural reef is.”