Bids could be awarded later this year to start work on the first phase of the Bryan County’s Fisherman’s Co-op, with phase one scheduled to be completed by October 2024.

That first phase, projected to cost $5 million, is being funded with a $3 million grant from the Georgia Department of Natural resources and an additional $2 million in SPLOST funds, according to Bryan County spokesman Matt Kent.

Phase one will include parking, two boat ramps, docks, a waterfront pavilion, restrooms, a shower pad and a boardwalk, according to the county.

A second phase will include additional boat ramps and an education center, among other things.

Bryan County bought the 24-acre property in 2020 for $3.25 million with plans to turn it into a public recreation area.

The Fisherman’s Co-op was built in 1979 and was used by shrimpers to offload their catches.

In its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, the Co-op was contributing $5 million to the local economy, officials say.

The very first Bryan County Seafood Festival was held at the Co-op in 1985.