SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The town is getting closer to building a new multimillion-dollar concrete fishing pier that could be the first of its kind in the Palmetto State.
Surfside residents and visitors have waited four years for a new pier after Hurricane Matthew destroyed it in 2016.
“I did know the gentleman that owned the ice cream shop and we were both hoping that it would be completed by the end of the summer, this summer,” said Christyann Duffy, who lives in Surfside. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t been.”
Mayor Bob Hellyer says Thursday was a major step towards rebuilding the iconic pier.
“Today’s the day we’ve been waiting on,” he said.
Three companies officially submitted bids for the job at a town council meeting Thursday afternoon.
“We’re ready to go,” said Mayor Hellyer. “We want a new pier, we want to build it and we want to bring people onto it. That is a destination here in Surfside Beach.”
Cape Romain Contractors from Wando bid $16,223,000. Consensus Construction from Myrtle Beach bid $15,199,00. Orion Marine Construction from Tampa, Florida, bid $14,849,352.
With $10 million in FEMA relief for the project, Mayor Hellyer says the town will have to weigh its share of the cost with how durable each proposed pier would be.
“We have plenty of options,” he said. “Our options are to just build the pier and not the buildings, or do some value engineering to make the cost a lot cheaper.”
Mayor Hellyer says it will hopefully take about a month to approve a bid with a goal of starting construction by the end of September.
“That’ll let us stay open during the summer to try to recoup some of what businesses have lost in COVID-19,” he said.
Once construction does begin, it’s expected to take about 18 months to finish before you can finally walk or fish on the new pier.
