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Parks service to offer ferry service toFort Pickens
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Splash! Magazine
Old battlefields don't die, they just fade away.
As historic American Civil War sites such as the infamous wheatfield in Gettysburg, Pa. and the nearby outpost of Fort Morgan, Ala. fall into disrepair and disappear under modern development, local officials struggle to keep storm-battered Fort Pickens on Pensacola Beach accessible to the public.
The fort, which was desperately held by the Union Army throughout the Civil War, is now only accessible on foot or by boat - much like it was in the mid 19th century. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan destroyed the road leading to the structure and surrounding campground. Those without access to a boat must endure a four-hour hike to enjoy the historic site.
However, officials from the National Park Service hope to restore accessibility to the Fort Pickens area in the near future.
"I hope to have limited access to one section of the camp grounds very soon," said Jerry Eubanks, Superintendent of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Eubanks recently unveiled plans to start a ferry service from mainland Pensacola to the fortification on Santa Rosa Island. The ferry service, which would cost consumers $15 to $20 per round trip, would be a temporary extension of a similar service in Gulfport, Miss. Eubanks added that he would like to see one boat making trips by the end of the summer and would eventually send the ferry contract out for competitive bid.
"I wanted to get a ferry service before the road went out," Eubank said.
Fort Pickens Road wasn't the only corridor damaged on federal property that is yet to be repaired. J. Earle Bowden Way, the highway that connects Pensacola Beach to Navarre Beach has also been out of commission since 2004. Eubanks said the two projects would cost a total of approximately $40 to $55 million to repair and blames the delay on environmental rehabilitation and restrictive government entities.
"I just don't have a crystal ball," Eubanks said when asked when the roads might be repaired. "The faster the island recovers, the faster we'll see those roads. We have to have a design that won't impede the natural movement of the island. We have to contain the road and hold it in place while the gulf and the island do their thing."
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