GULF SHORES, Ala. – Gov. Robert Bentley speaks to lots of various groups and sometimes he has to travel out of state to talk to groups who traveled from Alabama to convene.

He doesn’t like that.

“I’m absolutely tired of going to Sandestin to speak to Alabama people,” Bentley said to gathered media and state and local officials Tuesday afternoon in Gulf Shores.

Bentley was standing on the site of the former Gulf State Park Convention Center and Lodge. It was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and had to be demolished.

This stretch of prime beach has remained empty since. On Tuesday Bentley came to the site to sign Senate Bill 231, which will lead to improvements at Gulf State Park, including a lodge and meeting facility that will help attract more visitors.

“We’ve been through six governors and we finally got a state park bill passed which is an enabling legislation,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said during Monday’s council meeting. “It allows the redevelopment of the Gulf State Park Convention Center and Lodge. There’s some money allocated for that but not enough.”

Craft said he hopes the bill will stand up should it be taken to court. Similar bills to develop a lodge with a private partner have not withstood legal challenges.

“Once this is signed and survives – I’m sure there will be legal challenges as there have been every time – then I expect there will be discussions of a public-private partnership for the redevelopment of that park, lodge and conference center,” Craft said.

Improvements to Gulf State Park are part of a series of proposed Gulf Coast restoration projects announced by Bentley earlier this month. Funding for the projects will come from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Early Restoration process.  

The projects were negotiated with BP and Alabama’s federal and state partners as part of the ongoing recovery from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.  The projects were approved by the NRDA Trustee Council and BP.

Approximately $85.5 million in NRDA funding is allocated for Gulf State Park enhancements.  From that total, roughly $58 million is set aside for the lodge and meeting facility.  More than $27 million is allocated for a series of environmental improvements throughout the park.

Bentley told the crowd this money is not part of or a settlement of a lawsuit the state is pursuing for damages from the oil spill.

“It’s important to remember that this is only the early restoration from the spill and that recovery is a long-term process,” Bentley said. “The assessments are not over and we’ll continue to hold BP accountable for what happened.”

Environmental improvements include an environmental research and education facility for Alabama students, trail development and enhancement in the park, dune restoration along the park’s beachfront and the establishment of a coastal ecosystems interpretive center.

In addition to the Gulf State Park improvements, other recently-announced early restoration projects include a living shoreline project in Baldwin County as well as oyster reef restoration in Mobile County.  

Additional early restoration projects include the Marsh Island Restoration Project, the Alabama Dune Restoration Cooperative Project and “Restoring the Night Sky” – a project that will reduce artificial lighting impacts on nesting habitats for sea turtles.  

Many of the environmental injuries from the spill are still being assessed.  Based on those assessments, future projects are expected to continue the ongoing environmental restoration of the Coast.

Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Fairhope, and Rep. Steve McMillan, R-Gulf Shores, sponsored the legislation that establishes a framework for the lodge and meeting facility.

“This bill establishes a transparent system of developing a good project for the Gulf State Park, a project that will support tourism and allow us to share this wonderful resource with more visitors,” Pittman said.  “I am excited about what this project will mean, not only for the Gulf Coast but also for all of Alabama.”

The lodge itself is still in the conceptual stage.  It will be designed in an environmentally-friendly manner in order to compliment the coast and the surrounding park.  The lodge is expected to include visitor orientation and interpretive exhibits in public spaces in order to share the history of the Alabama Gulf Coast with visitors.

“This will be a tremendous benefit to the Gulf Coast and to the entire state,” McMillan said.  “That will be a facility that so many Alabamians will enjoy.  I am pleased with the provisions that assure the public’s right-to-know and a transparent process as we continue with this vital project.  I’m thrilled to see this project moving forward.”

Any net revenues generated by the lodge and meeting facility will support the work of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bentley said.  The department manages the Alabama State Parks system.

The system is a network of more than 20 parks designed to provide quality recreation services and resources to the public throughout the state and Gulf State Park, Bentley said, is the only one that generates significant income.