On June 17, Melbourne Beach Town Manager Tim Day made a pitch before the Florida Inland Navigation District, seeking a grant to offset a portion of the cost of re-decking the historic Melbourne Beach pier. The grant seeks $30,000 to help with the $60,000 price tag.
But whether approved or not, the township will still move forward with the project, Day said.
The deck replacement comes after the town rebuilt the end of the pier damaged by Hurricane Matthew.
The deterioration of the deck is not sufficient to make it unsafe for people to walk on, but there are enough concerns with splinters and maintenance that it needs an overhaul after 15 years. The new deck will feature similar wood as the existing deck. The pier, first built by the Melbourne & Atlantic Railroad Co. in the late 1800s, became part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Any consideration of using more durable plastic would lead to conflict, possibly with the Historic Preservation & Awareness Board, possibly with the National Register.
“It would be a nightmare,” Day said.
The rebuild of the damaged platform and adjacent fingers finished in early May at a cost of $117,000. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid 75 percent, and the balance split between Melbourne Beach and the state.
Among other damages, Matthew collapsed the corners of the platform. Approximately two thirds of the pier had been off limits as a result. The finger piers and the platform were demolished to be replaced by new decking and handrails. David Jacobs, the owner of Land and Sea contractors, said his company had to completely rebuild the north and south sides of the platform atop existing pilings.
The re-decking, which also includes the hand rails, goes from the street to the fingers piers, approximately 600 feet in length.
Work could start sometime in the summer.