County seeks funding for local projects through Natural resource Damage Assessment Process

County commissioners Tuesday approved a list of projects they would like to see funded through the Natural resource Damage Assessment Process.

The NRDA process started after the BP oil spill as a way to repair or replace resources that were damaged because of the spill.

Franklin county hopes that the process will help provide funding to rebuild the local oyster industry – and that is their top priority.

But County Planner Alan Pierce said other local projects may also be funded especially those that increase public access to water resources.

The list of 10 projects includes the building a pier at Abercrombie Park, repairing the roofs on the Chapman building and the Armory, improving Lombardi and Indian Creek parks, and even putting bathrooms at the Eastpoint and St. George Island fishing piers.

The county also added two other projects that may actually be funded in the future by the state, including purchasing bayfront land on St. George Island to protect the oyster industry and finding a use for the old FSU Marine Lab at Alligator Point.

County commissioners said their first priority is still the restoration of the bay, but if they can get some of these other projects funded too, that would be a good thing. 

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