Construction begins on Sunset Beach pavilion

The work of constructing a pavilion on Sunset Beach has begun.

If the weather cooperates, a grand opening will be held for the pavilion during the March or April Music on the Beach concert, according to City Manager Mark LeCouris.

The construction project, which city officials have been discussing for years, has had its share of delays. The state, for example, made the city furnish proof it held title to Sunset Beach before it could receive a grant to pay for the project.

Once ownership was proven and the grant was awarded, however, there were other delays needed to ensure the project was done correctly and will last over the years, LeCouris said.

The city manager hopes no more delays will be needed and there will now be smooth sailing for beach project.

"The pavilion and Sunset Beach is going to look very nice," LeCouris said. "We can have more events on the beach and the pavilion can be rented to people who want to hold their weddings there."

The pavilion, for example, will be the home of the city's Music on the Beach concert series.

The city will match the grant it received, $76,281 from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, with about $25,500 from its own coffers. The money will pay for the pavilion performance stage and a playground at Sunset Beach, which is a small peninsula at the western end of Gulf Drive.

The city will also improve the restroom and picnic facilities on the beach. In addition, the city will keep up with erosion control along the manmade beach.

A wooden pavilion on the beach that burned to the ground in 1963 was a social meeting place at which the city held dances and community events for several decades.