Inovia awarded Scipio Creek renovation project

At a special meeting held Tuesday, Oct 12 the Apalachicola Board of City Commissioners awarded the contract to rehabilitate and refurbish the Scipio Creek boat basin to Tallahassee engineering firm Inovia Consulting Group.

Out of the five firms that submitted Statements of Qualifications, the city commission ranked Inovia as its number one choice to oversee the project with Baskerville Donovan, Inc., out of Pensacola receiving the number two nod.

Inovia founded in 1999 by Apalachicola native Jim Waddell will oversee the $2.5 million dollar restoration project, which is slated to create up to 44 new seafood related jobs.

The city received funding for the project from various sources including the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the Florida Department of Community Affairs Community Development Block Grant Program and the City’s Revolving Loan Program.

In 2006, Inovia participated as a contributing consultant in the preparation of a feasibility study, funded by Enterprise Florida, Inc., to examine the viability and long term use of the boat basin.

Additionally, in August 2009, the firm assisted both the city and the Apalachee Regional Planning Council with the application for funding by preparing the preliminary engineering report for the project.

In a telephone interview with Waddell on Monday, Oct 18, the engineer said that he expects his firm to start designing the project by the end of October with construction anticipated to start six months later and project completion by early January 2012.

The Inovia Consultant Group has over 50 years of cumulative experience which include stormwater facility design, roadway design, parks and recreation, water and sewer system design and construction administration and inspection.

Collaborating with Inovia on the design and renovation is engineering firm Preble-Rish, Inc., out Port St. Joe and Architect Mark Tarmey’s 4M Design Group out of Tallahassee.

Once construction is completed, the facility will sport off loading docks for seafood, ice handling facilities, a boat repair yard and haul out facility and an open air retail market for seafood.