Pompano Beach prepares to replace its aging pier

The City of Pompano Beach is preparing to replace its long-damaged pier, but the price is concerning city commissioners.

The commissioners on Tuesday will decide whether to allow city staff to sign a pier-construction contract with a project manager.

The new pier would have a wider walkway and canopies for shade and would have an overall design resembling a fish. The existing pier was damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and never fully repaired.

Horacio Danovich, the city engineer, recently estimated that the cost of replacing Pompano’s pier could range from $10 million to as much as $13 million.

That range of estimates surprised the city commissioners, including Mayor Lamar Fisher, who said greater specificity is necessary.

Commissioner Barry Moss said the cost of the pier is secondary to a need for greater civic pride in Pompano Beach.

He told the Sun-Sentinel that “Pompano has a bit of inferiority complex, and these things are going to make it a whole lot better.” [Sun-Sentinel] — Mike Seemuth