News

Comfort's coming - Sun Herald, By DONNA MELTON, Thu, Jul. 30, 2009

GULFPORT - Construction should begin in August for replacement beach comfort stations at four Coast Transit Authority bus stops.

CTA owned seven comfort stations along the sand beach in Harrison County prior to Hurricane Katrina, but all were destroyed by the storm surge.

Using FEMA money, CTA is rebuilding five durably constructed stations.

The first four cost $1.2 million each and will be built at Long Beach Harbor, in Jones Park at the area near 20th Avenue in Gulfport, at Courthouse Road Pier in Gulfport and across from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.

Construction begins in three to four weeks, said CTA Executive Director Kevin Coggin.

"Hopefully about this time next year we'll be opening those up for public use," he said.

Bids for a fifth comfort station, a FEMA alternate project, will be accepted in two to three months, he said.

Coggin said FEMA would have paid to replace all seven, but CTA officials decided it would be a better use of taxpayer money to eliminate two to pay for an increased cost of the other five.

The fifth site is undetermined, but Rodenberg Avenue and U.S. 90 is a strong contender. "That's the favorite site right now," he said.

The previous comfort stations, built around 1986, were constructed from wood with aluminum siding and metal roofs. They sat on wood pilings.

"They were functional and not very durable," he said.

The five new stations will be made of concrete.

The base, deck and pilings will be cast in place, while the buildings are precast, he said.

The stations are engineered for Katrina-type wind and surge, he said.

They will contain beach restrooms and a communal area outside with shade.

A major difference is the usable space under the stations that is created by the new height requirements. That public-accessible spot can be used for beach functions, he said.

The stations are handicapped accessible and include ramps to the bathrooms and also to the beach, he said.

They will be locked at night for security, Coggin said.

Eley Guild Hardy Architects provided the designs.