Renovations continue this month at the cafe at Manatee County’s Coquina Beach.
The project, estimated to cost $162,000, could be completed by Christmas, according to Darin Cushing, the county project manager also involved in the construction of the $1.2 million marine rescue headquarters at Coquina Bayside.
“They are doing a great job, and we are very happy with this contractor,” Cushing said last week.
He added that the contractor, in a site briefing Dec. 1, said “they are aiming for completion before Christmas. Once they are finished, the concession vendors will have their kitchen equipment installed.”
While the renovation of the cafe takes place, the concession — beach chair rentals and snack sales — is being operated from a nearby trailer.
Time and salt air had taken its toll on the cafe building, which had numerous code violations that were in need of rectification, according to county officials.
Deficiencies listed in a structural analysis filed with the building department at Bradenton Beach City Hall included deteriorated exterior door frames and doors, rusted plumbing and pipes, a floor elevation 10 inches below grade, exposed rebar around the roof area, rusted electrical components, mildewed walls, leaks, a sagging drop ceiling and rusted roof rafters.
In addition to correcting problems, the county contracted for a reconfigured “interior to make it more efficient for operating the snack bar portion, as well as allowing the opportunity to operate a small portion as a gift shop,” according to Cushing.
The concession vendor, which also operates the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe at the Manatee Public Beach, will be responsible for interior items, including the kitchen equipment.
Outside, when the renovation is complete, the cafe will look more in line with the design scheme of the marine rescue building across Gulf Drive.
Already a new roof and new exterior walls are in place, as well as some wooden decking on the Gulf side of the building.
Work this month will include completing the stucco finish on the exterior, completing the exterior wood deck, painting, cleaning and putting epoxy on the floors, and installing tile, cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures and light fixtures.
On Dec. 1, several beachgoers, finding the 57-degree morning too chilly for sunbathing, took a seat at a picnic table near the renovation work to offer their ideas for the cafe reopening.
“I see myself on a Friday evening, with a tall drink chilling in my right hand and my toes tickling the sand, listening to live music,” Joe Pendergrass, a seasonal Bradenton Beach resident said, paraphrasing Kenny Chesney.
Pendergrass’ wife Helen added, “I hope they think about serving breakfast and they put a really good burger on the menu.”
Another visitor said he hoped for sunset and sunrise events. “Anybody who knows Coquina knows that the sunrise from right here is as spectacular as the sunset,” said Fred Griffith of Anna Maria and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “I’d like to see morning coffee crowds.”