Apalachicola to expend $2.491 million to support local seafood industry

On Monday, June 21, the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) informed city officials that the agency approved the City of Apalachicola’s application for a $1,855,000 grant to revamp the Scipio Creek Boat Basin.

Last June commissioners gave the go ahead to city grants manager Cindi Giametta along with Bruce Ballister, Economic Development Planner with the Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) to apply for an EDA grant to modernize the Boat Basin into a viable facility to sustain and generate seafood related job.

The initiative to revitalize the Basin came out of meetings held by the Apalachicola Waterfronts committee in late 2003, with the city sanctioning the group’s work at the behest of the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce.

The committee received a $50,000 grant to fund its work from the Waterfronts Florida Program through the Department of Community Affairs, with the Chamber providing half the match.

The Committee worked diligently over a two-year period to create a vision for the Basin that included providing the necessary infrastructure at the facility to ensure the continued existence of local seafood workers in Apalachicola under projected future development pressures.

With the vision in place, the city endorsed a feasibility study funded through another $50,000 grant the commission received from the Franklin County Tourist Development Council to outline infrastructure options, priorities, and the financial feasibility of the project.

At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that the installation of a haul out lift, along with a fueling station, icehouse, a unloading dock and facilities to encourage open air markets where fishermen could sell their catch were all necessary to protract the life of a struggling local seafood industry.

However, city officials at the time didn’t have the means to move the project forward until early 2009, when Kevin Begos, former Executive Director for the Franklin County Oyster, and Seafood Task Force alerted Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson of the existence of EDA funding through the Obama Administration.

The total project is expected to cost $2,490,596 and create up to 44 new jobs, the city’s portion of the cost include $200,000 from their Revolving Loan Fund, which is designed to create jobs and the remaining $435,596 from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).