County Commission says it will do what is necessary to repair damaged fishing pier

Franklin County Commissioners are trying to figure out the best way to get the St. George Island fishing pier repaired so that fishermen can use it again.

The pier, which is actually a section of the old St. George Island bridge, was damaged during Tropical Storm Debby when it was hit by a barge belonging to the Orion Marine Group, a company that was doing work in the bay for Progress Energy.

The barge knocked out two sections of roadway making it impossible for people to access much of the pier.

County officials feel that Orion should undertake the design and repair work itself, something the company has this far been unwilling to do.

The county does have a fund to provide general maintenance for the pier, and there may be enough money in the fund to pay for the repairs, but commissioners don’t think they should have to dip into that money.

The board agreed to have the Prebble Rish engineering firm assess the damage and then present their findings to the county, Orion and to Progress Energy.

After that they will giver Orion 30 days to either decide to do the repairs themselves, or the county will undertake the work and then sue Orion for the costs.

Commissioners hope that Orion will in the end decide to do the repairs itself, saving the company and the county a lot of money and time that would instead be wasted in litigation.

The board expects to have the engineering assessment by the next county commission meeting on September the 18^th. 

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