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Marina Brings Up Environmental Concerns at Current Airport Site
02/08/10 - 05:09 PM
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Mary Scott Speigner - bio
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click for larger image Bay County, Fla:

The St. Andrew Bay Land Company has big plans for the current airport site.  A marina to house more than 350 boats is just one part of a new development planned with homes, parks, and shopping.

But because the property is on St. Andrews Bay, environmental groups are asking questions.

While the project isn’t expected to break ground until 2011, Bill Cunningham of St. Andrew Bay Land Company says having a marina is critical to their plans.  They applied for a permit in January.

“Wherever you put a marina or any other manmade structure, the concerns are generically pretty much the same on St. Andrews Bay,” said Michael Brim, the executive director of the environmental group, Friends of St. Andrews Bay.  He says while the group isn’t anti-development, they are concerned about water quality.

He says they want to make sure the sea grass beds stay intact, there’s minimal storm water runoff and protected shellfish harvesting.

“If we lose sea grass bed in particular we begin to go down hill in a lot of ways: productivity, water quality, biodiversity… it’s all built around the sea grass beds in this Bay,” said Brim.

About a decade ago, airport officials decided to a build a totally new airport because they couldn’t expand the runway to bring in bigger planes.  They cited the environmental impact on the bay as one of the main reasons.  Now some of those same concerns are coming up with the new development.

“If it’s done properly, then you’re going to have much smaller negative impacts than you would’ve had if the airport runway were expanded,” said Brim.

He says he thinks environmental groups, like his, should be consulted.

Cunningham says they have planned for months with environmental groups to put this marina in the best location for the environment.  He says they will follow all of the Department of Environmental Protection and Army Corp of Engineers standards.

User Comments

Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies…and more lies! Isn’t this the same bunch of lies they crammed down everyone’s throats so they could build St. Joe’s Airport over the objections of the voters? And now all of a sudden it’s okay to damage or totally destroy the bay so a developer can build a marina in that same bay that everyone was so concerned with? Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies! That’s all we ever get anymore when it comes to developers in Bay County! Do they not think a marina will do as much or more long term damage to the bay? Fuel and oil leaks from the boats not to mention the destruction caused by just building the thing. Anyone that has seen any of the marinas in Bay County cannot deny there will be damage! Oh, and I forgot, all of this in the guise of prosperity and growth, right? BULLS—-! It’s all about making already rich developers and their cronies even richer! Period!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  02/09  at  07:26 AM

haha, he made a joke… the friends of st andrews isnt anti-development,,,haha please tell another, with jokes like that you ought to find a stage somewhere!!! if it was up to the enviromentalist we would be living in caves.. but then they would prob be complaining about pee run-off, so correction they would rather we not be on earth?

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  02/08  at  07:55 PM

When they added the addition to the runway length what did that do to the seagrass, where were you then?  How much run off is generated from all of the pavement at the present site?  Can walking trails, a marina with a basin that will recirculate water to the bay, rather than stagnate it as it does now, be anymore harmful?  Give me a break, it all comes down to anti-development. 

Maybe we should listen to the ones that want a dragstrip, private airport or amusement park, just what the REDKNECK REVIERA needs. DEP and DEA will dictate what can be done, you people will only delay the process and drive up the price of development ie housing.  Anti progress is not what this area needs.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  02/08  at  07:45 PM
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