Orange Beach, Ala. – (OBA) – All the buzz at the March 15 council meeting may have been about Orange Beach voting to form a city school system in a breakaway move from Baldwin County. But Coastal Resources Director Phillip West breathed a sigh of relief later when the council agreed to spend $899,000 on the new Wildlife Center and Trail Maintenance Shed.

“We’ve been budgeting that every year for five years and for whatever reason not being able to pull the trigger allowed the costs to escalate,” West said. “The construction cost has escalated in that time.”

The disparity was such that before the meeting West was concerned it might be done away with altogether or possibly scaled down. Less than $500,000 was budgeted for the project. But he said council members overlooked that and cited the value of the program as a reason to move forward.

“Very appreciative that they moved the project forward and that they see the value in that program,” West said. “It’s a good program, hard workers, dedicated people. We got to talk it out with them and they all understand there were delays.”

A very vibrant program exists today at the Orange Beach Wildlife Center and Management Program at a home formerly owned by the Walker family but not a part of the city’s recreation campus. West said it could be an even more dynamic program with the new expanded space.

“We’re limited in our potential with the current facility,” West said. “We’re hitting the high spots but we can’t get where we want to be with the current facilities that we have either for the trail shop or the wildlife center.”

West said the center has also served as a place for interns to work and learn and many of those have went on to find jobs all over the country after working with the Orange Beach program.

“We place interns,” West said. “We had two that graduated from the program that work for us now. One works for the state park, one works for the Department of Conservation in Montgomery and then we place them all over the country so it’s a really good program. Kind of unprecedented in the state for a local program.”

The $899,000 will pay construction and complete build-out of the office spaces, shop spaces and project spaces. It will also pay for the shell of the building for the wildlife center and the city has sought and found grant money for spaces to house animals and other amenities there.

“We have about $575,000 in grant money coming to build out the wildlife center side with enclosures, etc.,” West said. “It’s the wildlife center building but it’s just a shell.”

West said a target date for completion is six to eight months.

During the regular session, the council:

• OK’d a resolution rejecting the sole bid for a personal watercraft with trailer for the police department from Gulf Shores Power Sports which came in at $23,607.

• OK’d a resolution authorizing execution of a professional services agreement for engineering services for the Canoe Trail Site Repairs.

• OK’d a resolution authorizing repair and modifications to the Dolphin Sculpture known as “Hope” in an amount not to exceed $49,000. The statue on the grounds of the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach will be stripped and receive a silver nitrate coating, juvenile and baby dolphins will be added to the current statue and all three will be placed on a new granite base.

• OK’d a resolution to pay Jackson & Smith CPA Group $55,000 for auditing services in fiscal year 2021 from Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 

• OK’d a resolution appropriating funds to the Baldwin County Board of Education for teacher salaries in an amount not to exceed $12,500 for Orange Beach Elementary School principal Mary Catherine Law.       

• OK’d a resolution declaring 600 chairs owned by the City of Orange Beach as surplus and unneeded and authorizing the donation of said property to the United Methodist Church of Foley.

• OK’d a resolution accepting the negotiated price for a ground penetrating radar system for the Utilities Department from Power-Tel Utility Products in the amount of $18,545. It will be used to locate underground lines.

• OK’d a resolution authorizing the execution of release of all claims agreements with Barney Beebe and Gary Blake. This is in relation to some damage to two private boats by the wake of the city’s fire boat. The total has not been released but city officials said the claim is expected to be less than $5,000.