Deadline for Ft. Pickens Construction 4/10/09

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Not the best weekend to be out there in skintight neoprene...

 

[MRXRAY]

Exactly my point!

Not the best weekend to be out there in skintight neoprene...

 

[Hetland]

how is that different from any other weekend?

I'm always havin' to fight off the ladies when I'm at the beach. Why do you think I carry two knives?

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

'Cause all of a sudden... it aint the ladies, ick.

 

[MRXRAY]

Think Deliverance, only at the beach and with spearguns!

how is that different from any other weekend?

I'm always havin' to fight off the ladies when I'm at the beach. Why do you think I carry two knives?

 

[sskasser]

Mat....just think of all the new friends you could make!

 

[scubagal28]

I was in Pensacola last week. I spoke to one of the rangers and he said that they might be looking at the first of June before the road will be opened. I'm going back the end of June and hopefully it will be open then.

 

[Hetland]

Still on track, even with delays :grinbandit:

April 23, 2009

Weather delays Ft. Pickens Road opening | www.gulfbreezenews.com | Gulf Breeze News
BY VICI PAPAJOHN Gulf Breeze News vici@gulfbreezenews.com

Reconstruction and opening of the road to Fort Pickens is delayed by a recent rash of bad weather, according to Superintendent Jerry Eubanks. Eubanks calls the delay a "semantic term" as construction is on track to complete the road, but "rain and storms have made the process take a little longer than expected."

"We want to have the park open by Memorial Day," Eubanks said. "We may not have the road completely done, but I think we will get it ready for park access by the holiday. I really want to get the word out ahead of time that visitors will find the park muchaltered by storms and it will be very different."

Eubanks said that many of the pine tress died from salt water intrusion from the hurricanes that destroyed the road, and those in developed areas of the park were removed for safety.

"There are not a lot of trees left in the camping area," he said. "We now have a lot of low growth vegetation."

Lack of access delayed some building restoration and the restoration of electrical service to the park, and Eubanks said that the first few days after the park opens, full electrical service may not yet be restored. "We will have power at the fishing pier, where we call it the Firehouse. But the camping facilities may not be electrified right away."

The bike path will be restored as part of the road along both sides of the road, Eubanks said. Bikers need to bring plenty of water and refreshment, as the camp ground store will not reopen when the park reopens, but restoration and renovation efforts will begin once access is complete, according to Eubanks.

"We are focusing right now on getting the road open and park accessible," Eubanks stressed. "We will not be using a reservation system this year, and all camping will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. We will have a formal ribbon cutting or something eventually, but right now we just want to reopen."

2009 Gulf Islands National Seashore Annual Park Pass is now available for a cost of $25 and will allow the purchaser unlimited free entrance to the Seashore during the 12-month period following its purchase. To check on the status of the road and any of the services or programs at Ft. Pickens, please contact the Visitor Center at 850- 934-2600

 

[scubagal28]

Road to Fort Pickens to open Friday
Travis Griggs tgriggs@pnj.com May 19, 2009


Fort Pickens Road should open to traffic Friday, allowing private vehicles to access the historic fort for the first time since the road was washed out in 2005.
Jerry Eubanks, superintendent of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, said the Florida Department of Transportation is completing a final inspection of the road Wednesday morning.
If everything goes as planned, we will be open by Friday, Eubanks said.
Many park facilities, including camp grounds and recreational vehicle spaces, will open Friday with limited services, Eubanks said.
We are going to have very limited amenities when we open the road, Eubanks said.
Much of the fort will not have electric power, the campgrounds will not have running water, and the campground store will not be open this weekend.
Portable generators are supplying power and running water to bathrooms near the day use area, the pier and the visitor center, Eubanks said.
Guided tours of the battery will start at 2 p.m. on days the park is open.
It's a start-up facility. We are kind of taking baby steps, Eubanks said.

 

[MRXRAY]

Oh yeah!!!! Am I starting to drool?......Yup!