STUART — Construction on a major overhaul of the City of Stuart’s courtesy docks is scheduled to begin July 6, with city officials planning a larger and more storm-resistant docking system along the downtown waterfront.
The project will replace the city’s existing dock configuration with a redesigned marina-style layout featuring 44 boat slips — 26 more than the current system — in an effort to increase public docking capacity for visiting boaters.
According to the city, the existing 5,533-square-foot floating dock and associated pilings will be replaced with a new 7,590-square-foot fixed dock, a 1,400-square-foot concrete floating dock and a 300-square-foot floating vessel platform.
About 1,450 boaters use the courtesy docks annually, the city said. Officials expect the expanded facility to improve access for both motorized and non-motorized vessels while accommodating increased demand along the waterfront.
City officials also cited recurring storm damage to the existing floating dock system as a reason for the redesign.
“With the floating dock, every year storms and wave action damage the finger piers,” Public Works Director Milton Leggett said during a recent City Commission meeting. “The fixed dock never had any damage, so we have decided to go with a fixed dock which has been more durable and will minimize long-term costs.”
The project carries an estimated price tag of about $3 million and is being funded through a $1.15 million grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District, along with Transportation Impact Fee funding.
The courtesy docks will close temporarily during construction. City officials expect the project to be completed before next year’s Fourth of July celebration.
Cummins Cederberg Inc. is serving as the project engineer, while Custom Built Marine Construction Inc. will handle construction.