Bids for pier shock N.C. officials into regrouping

NAGS HEAD

Plans to resurrect Jennette's Pier into an educational and recreational outpost for the North Carolina Aquariums have been stymied by an off-budget construction bid and a distressed economy.

Aquarium officials are working to pare down the original design, focusing on reduction of costly concrete parts and downgrading cosmetic items such as wood finishes, mosaic tiles and light fixtures.

"We came up with a list of things we can either re-design or eliminate and add later," said Aquariums Director David Griffin, referring to a meeting Tuesday with Raleigh-based contractor Clancy & Theys Construction Co.

Of the six competitive bids received in December on what was until then a $14 million project, Clancy & Theys firm came in lowest, at about $27 million. The high bid topped $31 million.

Griffin said everyone was shocked.

"Very," he said. "All of us were stunned for several days, and then we regrouped."

The hurricane-damaged pier and its pier house at Whalebone Junction were torn down a few months ago. Construction of the new facility - to be operated by the state aquarium on Roanoke Island - was expected to begin this spring.

In re-examining the project, engineers have refigured wave modeling and determined that a less-hefty piling would support the 1,000-foot concrete pier and still withstand wave loads, said aquariums project manager Chris Ivers.

"It looks like we'll be able to use 24-inch concrete piles rather than 30-inch and 36-inch piles," he said.

That would provide cost savings in concrete and as a result of the availability of materials.

"The 24-inch concrete piles are much, much easier to get." Ivers said. "When you get to 30 or 36 inches, only a limited number of manufacturers can make that kind of pile."

Original plans included a 25-foot-wide concrete pier with wooden deck and railings, attached to a two-story pier house with an arcade, a tackle shop, classrooms and a 200-seat multipurpose room.

The plan for the pier, designed to withstand hurricane winds of 130 mph, included three wind turbines and a number of solar panels to help provide power. Cisterns would be built to capture water to recycle on site.

Ivers said the goal is to find ways to decrease costs without affecting the pier.

"It's pretty obvious that additional money is going to have to be found," he said. "So what we're trying to do is to work somewhere in the middle."

Other changes being considered are narrowing the pier to 22 feet, Griffin said, and changing the roof from metal to asphalt. Tweaking the size also will allow reduction in the number of piles, girders and pile caps.

"We're taking down quite a bit of the concrete," he said, "but still, we'll have a very strong structure."

The design standard for a 100-year storm event has not changed, Griffin said.

So far, he said, the proposed changes could shave about $3 million off the project costs. Engineers are expected to have more information this week, he said.

More money will also be sought from the General Assembly and the private sector, Griffin said.

"It's a tough climate to find some, obviously," he said. "We're trying to be optimistic. We're hopeful, but not overly, because of the climate we're in."

Griffin said engineering data that came in late, as well as the surge in concrete prices, contributed to the underestimation of the project costs. But now the aquariums are working off of the contractor's figures because the estimates more accurately reflect the cost.

If worst comes to worst, Griffin said, there will have to be a significant redesign of the project. But he said he'd like to avoid that because of the additional review time involved.

"We're nowhere near even considering dropping this project," he said. "We still think we're going to have a project there, sooner rather than later. But we're not sure when."

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com