The city has chosen a contractor to design the new Naples Pier.

At last week's meeting, City Council unanimously agreed to award a contract for design services to Turrell, Hall &Associates in the amount of $1,478,400.

Chad Merritt, the city's director of parks and recreation, described it as a "big milestone."

The iconic pier took a beating from Hurricane Ian in September, forcing a rebuild.

According to its winning proposal, Turrell, Hall & Associates has lined up a team of experts for the job who've worked on more than six pier projects over the past five years, including modifications to the Naples Pier.

The local marine and environmental consulting business will work with seven other firms, as subcontractors, to get the work done in six months.

One of the primary reasons it won the contract: Its promise to retain the pier's essence.

In its proposal, the contractor pledged to maintain some of the pier's historic features, including its Polynesian roof lines and its wood decking and railing – and to avoid an "all-concrete design" and an "industrial aesthetic," such as what's seen at the pier in Clearwater, a few hours up the coast.

Even before the city chose the company as the designer, Turrell, Hall had started proposing ideas, following its completion of an extensive damage assessment that determined the beloved pier must be rebuilt.

In its pitch for the design contract, Turrell, Hall stated:

"The Naples Pier has been part of our lives both personal and professional. The excitement this project has broughtto our team is beyond words. We have treated this project as our own and will continue to do so. This is not justanother project for us, as many of us have grown up here, we are invested in the history and future of the NaplesPier, the heart and soul of our town."

The new design would include stronger concrete beams and pilings, which are essentially the pier's legs.

The new pier would be elevated, to protect it from high water and wave action in the future.

The redesign could include the addition of a raised gazebo, lower fishing decks and "bump outs," or balconies, to allow for better views and provide more seating, with benches and railings off to the sides. These are a few of the ideas Turrell, Hall has already tossed around.

More input will be sought from the community in developing the final design.

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Survey results will help guide redesign of Naples Pier

The city recently completed a design survey, receiving 10,694 responses, mostly from city and county residents, but from visitors too. Turrell, Hall will take the results into account in its conceptual design.

At last week's City Council meeting, Merritt described the response to the survey as "phenomenal," exceeding expectations, with replies coming in from the young, the old and the in between. The city involved high schoolers in the effort.

The Naples Youth Council, made up sophomores and juniors from Naples High, created the survey.

In the survey, nearly 36% of respondents chose the pier's unique design and historical value as its most important components – before Ian left the landmark in shambles.

Many stated they appreciated its rustic charm. One wrote: "Keep it the same. It’s perfect as it was with more reinforcement. Don’t make it cheesy. Too many cities bring trashy, junk-selling businesses (to it) that are just not worth it. Stay different."

The most desired additions: Underwater wildlife cameras (44.1%), designated fishing areas (43.3%), and designated viewing areas (37.6%).

More than 45% said they wanted fishing, photography and other lessons offered at the new pier. Nearly 64% desired live music, although some pushed back on the idea, concerned about noise and traffic.

While some urged the city to continue allowing fishing on the pier, others wanted it banned entirely, or at least on certain days of the week, complaining the fishermen who've traditionally used it are rude, foul-mouthed and messy.

One respondent shared: "I find it disgusting when the fishermen pull up fish and dagger them making blood goeverywhere. Or when the stingray herds come through and they pull them up cutting them onthe pier."

On the opposing side, a respondent urged the city to: "Keep it for fishing … it's a fishing pier."

Commenting on the results, Councilwoman Beth Petrunoff said to her surprise the top three reasons for visiting the pier were for sunsets, sightseeing and entertaining guests.

"I thought fishing would be higher," she said.

Several respondents in the survey expressed concerns about the pelicans getting snagged on fishing lines. Others saw the pelicans as an irritant.

One respondent lamented: "The pelicans are a nuisance. They are there trying to get fish from the fishermen.It smells! It is crowded, not pleasant to be there! I stopped going because of that."

Before Ian, the city was testing a pilot program that prohibited fishing onSundays, in an effort to reduce pelican injuries, and to reduce conflicts between fishermen and other visitors.

City Councilman Ted Blankenship suggested Turrell, Hall work closely with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to see if any techniques can be built into the new pier design to reduce the harm to pelicans.

Those conversations have already begun and will continue, Merritt assured.

"We will keep them involved," he said.

In the survey, respondents stated the factors that kept them from going to the pier the most were a lack of parking, and crowds.

In case you missed it: City Council gives approval to rebuild Naples Pier

Redesign of Naples Pier is an 'exciting time'

The design process is an "exciting time for the city and residents," Blankenship said.

He suggested the consultant's outreach be more proactive. Rather than just soliciting public input through a website, newsletters, or email, he encouraged the design team to meet with homeowner associations and other community groups and stakeholders, because "everybody feels like they have ownership in the pier."

Vice Mayor Mike McCabe pointed out the importance of moving forward for the city and its residents, but stressed the need to do it with innovative thoughts and ideas in mind.

"This is mom and apple pie for Naples," he said. "The Naples Pier."

Based on the approved contract, here are some key milestones and when they're expected to be reached:

• May 8: 30% design

• July 3: 60% design

• July 31: 90% design

• Aug 14: 100% design

The final presentation to City Council is slated for Sept. 20.

Turrell, Hall submitted a proposal for a second phase of design services, which will be needed during construction – at an estimated cost of $1,083,000. However, City Council hasn't approved that contract yet.

The consultant will work with the city to find a company to build the new pier to its specifications.

Ian significantly damaged about 460 feet of the pier, with about 140 feet of its western endsitting at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, including a shelter and more than 30 pilings.

Originally built in 1888, the pier was rebuilt after hurricanes struck it in 1910, 1926, 1944 and 1960.

After a reconstruction in 2015, the pier got hit by Hurricane Irma in 2017, damaging it again.

The city was working to extend the life of the pilings by installing modern pile jackets on them before Ian hit.

Historically, the Naples Pier has drawn more than 1 million visitors annually.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Redesign of storm-ravaged Naples Pier is underway