|
Boardwalk opens to swimmers, boats and guests
Vici Papajohn Splash! magazine
 | | Paul Stefon/ Splash! magazine Floating is a family event at Quietwater beach. |
|
The Pensacola Beach Boardwalk is open again for business, and the crowds are responding. They are coming by land and by sea, and they are enjoying more than just the shopping, dining and entertainment ... visitors and locals are once again enjoying the Boardwalk pier.
Swimmers enjoy jumping from the pier into the Quietwater area, and boaters will once again be able to pull up to the pier for access to the Boardwalk.
"The boardwalk pier will function in the same capacity as it did pre-Hurricane Ivan," says Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) general manager Buck Lee.
Other than the far northwest end of the pier, there is no specific time limit on how long boats may stay moored at the dock. Lee said the northwest end is reserved for 15 minute intervals for pick up and drop off only.
As far as the rest of the pier is concerned, boat owners are welcome to spend the night, within reason. Lee said that if SRIA staff notice a particular vessel has stayed more than one or two nights in a row, they may be asked to leave in order to make room for other boaters.
 | | Paul Stefon/ Splash! magazine Children enjoy splashing into Sound waters as they cannonball from the pier's edge. |
|
After being destroyed nearly a year ago by Hurricane Dennis, the pier's replacement structure is upgraded from its previous plank-and-nail construction, featuring reinforced lumber, which raises the structure an additional two feet from the water line.
The pier is also fitted with grating, which according to the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA), will allow rising water to pass through the structure without totally destroying it. According to Lee, the new and improved pier came with a price tag of over $400,000, 75 percent of which is FEMA funding.
What visitors and locals see is a welcoming space to stroll, enjoying the Gulf breezes, and an added play space for the already-popular Boardwalk, something they've been missing for nearly two years.
Along with Hemingway's Island Grill and Hooters, Papa's Pizza now offers a new dining opportunity without leaving the boardwalk after
Bamboo Willie's and Capt'n Fun both offer live music and libations by the water, and guests really do come to spend the whole day and evening on the Boardwalk, soon to be joined by Cabo Grill and the Boardwalk Cafe.
"Business is back up," said Bamboo Willie's Robert Gleim. "We're doing fairly well. There's more traffic on the beach and guest counts are up."
| 
)
)