Flagler Beach’s planned reconstruction of the A-Frame and boardwalk at the pier is now estimated to cost $3 million, up $300,000 from last year. And city commissioners are not too thrilled about the too-fancy architectural design. Not at all–especially proposed changes to the A-frame and shell-like exteriors to a new building’s facade.
They killed both proposals, among others they panned, opting for simpler looks that preserve what they see as old charms. They directed their designer to return later this summer with a significantly revised plan. Changes at this point in the design are not that unusual: the design was only 30 percent complete, enabling just that sort of critique. But the lacerating sharpness of the criticism was unexpected.
Commissioners have asked for the elimination of “too much expensive gingerbread,” in the words of Commissioner Rick Belhumeur, who was especially critical of the new designs. The reversion to a simpler approach may bring down the cost, though given cost increases, even that is unlikely to happen by the time construction begins in August 2026–if it does at that point. Construction would last a year.
The city doesn’t have the luxury of delays: a $750,000 grant used for part of the project has to be used within two years.
Flagler Beach is about to rebuild not just the pier, but the A-frame, the buildings on the south side of the A-frame, and the whole boardwalk north and south of the pier, what the city is calling the Beachwalk and Promenade project.
They’re two separate projects paid for with separate pots of money. The Federal Emergency Management Administration and a legislative appropriation are paying for the $16 million reconstruction of the pier, which will be first: that starts imminently.
What had started as the $2.66 million Beachwalk project and is now the $2.95 million project is only partially paid for. The city secured a $750,000 grant through the county’s Tourist Development Council. It has not appropriated the rest of the money for it. It has the balance in its reserves, but would prefer to find other sources.
The city hasn’t been generating revenue from the pier since the pier’s condemnation two years ago, and the bait shop’s closure. But the city generates around $150,000 a year from the Funky Pelican restaurant’s rent and a 3 percent profit-sharing deal. (The city earns 3 percent of all Funky Pelica gross sales above $1 million. In the 12 months ending in June, it earned $122,000.)
The project will develop in phases, starting with design. The pier and the Beachwalk project share the same designer–Moffat & Nichol. Flagler Beach’s JPA (Joseph Pozzuoli Architects) is the architect on the Beachwalk project.
JPA didn’t fare well at a commission meeting Thursday evening as Gabriel Perdomo of Moffatt & Nichol presented the drawings of the Beachwalk project. Signature elements in the design, like extra spaces, sloped aluminium roofs on timber frames, a balcony under the A-frame, even the proposed aluminium-type roofing of the A-frame itself were all scrapped. So was the exterior facade of what will be the new building on the south side of the A-frame. Commissioners didn’t like its stone-and-shell exterior.
That’s what Belhumeur called “expensive gingerbread,” an analogy Commission Chair James Sherman underscored: “We do need to look into maybe doing some value engineering here,” Sherman said, echoing much of Belhumeur’s critique. He expects another cost-cutting round in the future.
Belhumeur, who deconstructed the design in meticulous detail, is himself a builder and designer. He was also concerned that three sloped roofs rising 17 feet would get in the way of the line of sight of the iconic A-frame and its “Flagler Beach” lettering.
“You talk about renovations to the A-frame. I don’t understand that we’ve done major renovations to that A-frame already,” Belhumeur said. The city had received a previous grant from the tourism council to rebuild the A-frame. “My thought on the steel roof is–No!,” he said. “We’ve got in our vision statements as maintaining old Florida heritage and small town charm. We’re talking about making everything new and grand, and that’s not us. That A-frame hasn’t changed its appearance in many decades. And to do this and totally change the look of it is not what the intent was when we preserved the first 100 feet for the pier.” (The pier reconstruction will preserve the existing construction of the first 100 feet of the 800-foot pier.)
The original plan was for phase one consisting of building the larger “services building” at the base of the pier and renovating the A-frame. The building will have larger restrooms, a rebuilt radio room and better access to the pier and the promenade. It will also rebuild the bait shop, or whatever that space will be.
There was to be open space between the bait shop and the radio room and a balcony or overlook between those two spaces. “I don’t understand why we’re wasting that space under roof for an overlook to see the same thing you can see if you walk a few more feet down,” Belhumeur said.
The space and the balcony will be eliminated and the bait shop enlarged. The foundation for the building will be primarily concrete, with concrete floors with timber or composite decking in the breezeway to give it the same feel as the pier.
The mayor didn’t like planned timber on the exterior of buildings instead of block construction. Timber was considered for the boardwalk/promenade, because it’s a cost-saving, though timber has a lifespan of just 20 to 25 years “if properly maintained,” Perdomo said. But composite material may be used instead. The composite in place now was installed 35 years ago, Belhumeur said.
Commissioner Eric Cooley was not at the meeting but had City Manager Dale Martin relay his concerns. Cooley no longer wants references to the bait shop, for instance. “We as a commission have not agreed the new design will incorporate a bait shop,” Cooley said. “It doesn’t make any money in the city. Should not be competing with the private sector.” He sees a welcome center or an extension of the city’s museum in that space.
Some designs were less disputed. Perdomo in his presentation said all radio cables will be either protected or replaced, as needed. New seating will match the benches on the pier to provide a continuous look and feel. A new sliding security gate and fence will be installed at the entrance to the pier. “There would be sort of an iconic concrete archway that would be integrated into the slanted roof system to complement the A-frame” on the south side, Perdomo said, though it’s not clear how that detail would fit–or whether it will survive–now that the slanted roofs have been eliminated.
A lifeguard building is also part of the pier’s future, but the fate of that building is not clear.
The city manager in an email to Perdomo this afternoon summed up the required revamp in bullet points (in Dale Martin’s words):
- Remove the “Bait Shop” label: replace with “Use TBD by City.”
- Eliminate the open space between the “Bait Shop” and “Radio Room,” adding that space to the “Bait Shop” (thereby also eliminating the “balcony”).
- Eliminate the sloped roof elements above the re-built facilities (flat roof or minimal pitch to ensure visibility of ‘A’-frame “Flagler Beach FLA” lettering).
- Eliminate the change to metal roofing of the ‘A’-frame.
- Eliminate stone/shell exterior façade.
- If the circular sink remains as a design feature, provide shelving to accommodate users’ accessories/equipment (perhaps southern wall of each restroom?).
- A late unshared comment from Commissioner Cooley expressed concern regarding the sustainability/vulnerability of the northern-facing stair structure at the southeast corner of the facility.
- Consider composite material (in lieu of timber) for the Promenade decking/railing/stairs.
Romuald Flieger says
Hi there I was in the commercial construction for thirty five years and have never seen budget blown out of proportion by that much over one year span. Someone is pulling someone leg. Better get better people to manage projects.
Billy says
Open the bidding to local contractors, im sure a million will do it!