Jeff Whitten, Correspondent.
With construction on a first phase expected to be “substantially complete” by early October, Bryan County’s Fisherman’s Co-Op could be open to the public by the end of the year, officials say.
But it won’t be open at night, according to a draft of an operations manual submitted to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division.
Funded through a $3 million grant from DNR, the 26-acre gated facility on Kilkenny Creek will be open for “day use only,” and won’t include overnight parking, storage or mooring.
That’s to control access to the site to cut down on possible crime, according to Bryan County Commissioner Carter Infinger.
“You know if someone leaves a $100,000 truck with a $300,000 boat on a trailer there overnight it’s just asking for trouble,” he said.
“That’s something we don’t want.” In addition to four boat ramps, the facility will include a kayak launch as well as a 7,000 square foot wharf, 900 square foot covered pavilion, parking areas, a boardwalk, restrooms and nature trails.
That’s from the description of the Co-Op in a draft of the operations manual, which Bryan County is required to submit to the Coastal Resources Division as part of the county’s permit to build on coastal marshlands.
The manual, approved by Bryan County Commissioners in July, spells out everything from emergency contacts to the “marina mission statement,” and includes rules for the public – including a section on manatee education urging boaters to slow down and keep away from the slow-moving creatures.
Other rules govern the use of alcohol, responsibilities in severe weather, parking and discharge of bilge water or disposal of fish bait, for example.
The Bryan County Fisherman’s Co-Op was built in 1979 and was home to the county’s shrimpers and fishermen as recently as the 2000s. The Bryan County Commission purchased the land in 2020 for $3.25 million.
Infinger has from the outset been a proponent of the project, which initially had some opposition from some in the community but was otherwise applauded. Infinger said the facility will ensure public access to the coast in an area where private development has limited such options.
It is expected to be completed in phases and could eventually include classrooms and gathering places.