City of St. Marys, St. Marys Intracoastal Gateway Dock Modifications, St. Marys River, Camden County, Georgia

Camden

This serves as notification from the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources of a request from the City of St. Marys for a Coastal Marshlands Protection Act (CMPA) permit under Official Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) 12-5-280 et seq., to modify the St. Marys Intracoastal Gateway Marina located on the St. Marys River, Camden County, Georgia.

In July 2010, the City of St. Marys purchased the property formerly owned by the Gillman Paper Company and was issued CMPA Permit #522 to change the use of the existing dock from a community dock to a public dock facility.  An Emergency Order and Letter of Permission (LOP) was issued on October 10, 2017 for the construction of temporary floats at the facility to provide service for the Cumberland Island Ferry after the National Park Service (NPS) docks were destroyed by Hurricane Irma. A LOP was issued on March 15, 2018 to reauthorize those temporary floating docks through October 2018.

The pre-Irma Gateway Marina facility consisted of an 11ft. wide walkway that extended from the existing bulkhead seaward approximately 158ft. into the waterway with a 23ft. long x 10ft. wide x 9.25ft. high cover near the seaward most end of the walkway. A 58ft. x 6ft. L-shaped deck extended to the west from the end of the walkway, which had five (5) mooring dolphins to its landward side. A 25ft. x 4.17ft. gangway extended to the east of the walkway to access a 30.5ft. x 8.3ft. concrete float and two (2) breasting dolphins.

The LOP’s authorize temporary modifications to accommodate NPS ferry service to Cumberland Island consisting of replacing the floating dock on the east side with a 42ft. x 10ft. temporary float. Additionally, approximately 94 square feet of the L-shaped fixed deck was removed and a 75ft. x 7ft. ramp was installed to access a 20ft. x 9ft. floating dock and a 10ft. x 40ft. floating dock on the western side. The temporary structures impact 1,171 square feet of state jurisdictional tidal water bottoms and extend no further seaward than the pre-storm facility.

The applicant proposes to retain the temporary structures that were authorized by the LOP’s until the appropriate repairs can be made to the NPS dock and can resume ferry service. Once ferry service resumes at the NPS docks, the temporary structures will be removed and construction of the permanent modifications of the Gateway Marina will commence.

The proposed permanent modifications to the existing Gateway facility will provide additional dock space for visitors and transient boaters. The Gateway facility will be a public facility that will serve tourists and transient boaters that visit St. Marys. It will be used on a first come first serve basis. 

In order to minimize the amount of dock structure in the waterway and to ensure that the amount of dock space does not exceed demand, the applicant has proposed to approach the construction in three phases. Phase I will commence by removing the temporary structures, L-shaped fixed deck, and mooring/breasting dolphins, which total 706 square feet of jurisdictional impacts. A 20ft. x 11ft. walkway extension will be constructed off the end of the existing 11ft. x 158ft. walkway and lead to a 20ft. x 20ft. covered fixed deck. An 80ft. x 4ft. gangway compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will extend to the west of the fixed deck and access a 4,297.38 square foot ‘C-shaped’ floating dock system. The C-Shaped dock system will consist of three (3) connected concrete floating docks. A 13.4ft. x 60ft. concrete floating dock will extend to the west, at the end of which a 13.4ft x 120ft. floating dock will extend channelward. A 13.4ft. x 140.7ft. floating dock will lead to the east from the end of the channelward extending float to form the C-Shaped configuration. The total area of new impacts within state jurisdiction from Phase I totals 5,237 square feet (0.1202-acres).

Phase II will consist of adding a 140ft. x 13.4ft. float extension to the east end of the C-shaped floating dock. A 40ft. x 4ft. gangway will be installed on the east side of the fixed deck and access a floating dock system that has a 20ft. x 119.6ft. main float extending east, parallel to the shore and landward of the C-shaped dock. The float will feature three 5.4ft. x 36.7ft. finger floats with fillets that extend on each side (six finger floats total), perpendicular to the main floating dock. The slips created by the fingers will be 31ft. wide. The area of new structure proposed in jurisdiction for Phase II totals 4,893 square feet (0.1123-acres).

Phase III will consist of adding a 140.7ft. x 13.4ft. float extension to the eastern end of the C-shaped floating dock and adding a 134.3ft. x 13.4ft. float extension to the landward float. Four perpendicular 5.4ft. x 36.7ft. finger floats will also be added to both sides of the landward float. The slips created by the fingers will be 31ft. wide, with the exception of the eastern-most slips that will be 38ft. wide to accommodate larger vessels. The two wider slips will also include a +/- 18in. mooring dolphin in order to provide better mooring for sailboats and similar vessels. Phase III will impact 5,357 square feet of jurisdiction (0.1230-acres).

The Phase I walkway extension and fixed deck will be supported by 18in. timber piles, and all floating structures will be secured by 14in. or 18in. square concrete piles. As proposed, all three phases of the project will impact 15,487 square feet (0.356-acres) of jurisdiction. At build out, the total amount of existing and proposed structures in jurisdiction will total 17,225 square feet (0.395-acres). The completed facility will extend approximately 302ft. into the waterway at a point where the waterway is greater than 1,200ft. wide.

The applicant has stated there is no upland component for the project. 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate that the project is not contrary to the public interest and that no feasible alternative sites exist. Impacts to coastal marshlands must be minimal in size. In passing upon the application for permit, the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee shall consider the public interest: (1) Whether or not unreasonably harmful obstruction to or alteration of the natural flow of navigational water within the affected area will arise as a result of the proposal; (2) Whether or not unreasonably harmful or increased erosion, shoaling of channels, or stagnant areas of water will be created; and (3) Whether or not the granting of a permit and the completion of the applicants proposal will unreasonably interfere with the conservation of fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, clams, or other marine life, wildlife, or other resources, including but not limited to water and oxygen supply.

Please provide this office with substantive, site-specific comments as to why the proposed work should or should not proceed.  Comments and questions concerning this proposed project should be submitted in writing and be submitted by the close of business on August 8, 2018 to Paul Tobler, Department of Natural Resources, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, Georgia 31520.

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