Construction on the Melody Lane Public Fishing Pier and fish cleaning station is underway and on-track to be completed by November 19, 2015.
Two grant awards from the Florida Inland Navigation District totaling $312,500 along with 50/50 matching funds from the City of Fort Pierce paved the way for this project, which has been in the works since 2011.
City officials estimate more than 9,000 people will use the pier each year. Other annual benefits include 11 regional fishing tournaments, a viewing area for 4th of July fireworks, Christmas Boat parades and a viewing area for birds that gather amongst the City’s recently completed storm protection island system.
“The Melody Lane Public Fishing Pier will be a place our citizens and guests can gather for a day of recreation, to sightsee or to just sit back and relax,” explained Mayor Linda Hudson. “We look forward to having generations of families enjoy the pier for many years to come.”
The fishing pier will be 10 feet wide and 215 feet long and include a 26-by-16-foot landing. The ADA accessible pier will have a musical theme and include signage to commemorate the site’s history – the location of the broadcast tower used by radio stations WOVV and WIRA in the 1960s.
The musical theme will carry over to the pedestrian entrance archway and decorative benches, which are being designed by local artists Anita Prentice and Pat Cochran. The pier will also include bicycle racks, lighting, tackle disposal units and environmentally friendly through-flow interlocking deck-covering panels to encourage sea grass growth.
Tetra Tech, EC, Inc., Brothers Construction, Inc. and Ardaman and Associates, Inc. were awarded contracts for the permitting, design, construction and construction engineering inspection services of the pier.