FORT MORGAN, AL – Some question the timing of the renovation of the dilapidated governor’s mansion at the Gulf, while others say the project is long overdue.

Gov. Robert Bentley, recently divorced from his wife of 50 years, Diane, also lost in said divorce, two houses. One of those is on the Gulf and the other is on the same street a few lots west but not on the beach side.

Recently Bentley said “leftover” BP grant money was found and is being used to renovate another beachfront property, one that is dilapidated. The project is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $1.8 million. It is about two miles west of those two homes listed as being owned by Robert and Diane Bentley.

But the one being renovated belongs to the state and is called the governor’s mansion at the beach. It has been out of use and in general disrepair since Hurricane Danny damaged it in 1997.

The renovations, being done by Gulf Shores Councilman Phillip Harris’ construction company, will be complete in May. Bentley is in his second term as governor and will have to leave office after the 2018 elections. He will have use of the mansion until then.

Many around the state have questioned using money for the project in light of other budget shortfalls and needs. The governor’s office says the renovated mansion will be used to fete developers and corporations with hopes of getting them to do business in Alabama.

“The Governor doesn’t want this property to be an embarrassment any longer,” Bentley’s Communications Director, Jennifer Ardis, said. “It will have to be brought up to the standard of a governor’s residence.”

Property was donated in 1962 with the stipulation it be used as a site for a governor’s mansion, according to state records. If the state no longer wished to use it as an official building the contract said the property – estimated to be worth near $1 million – would revert back to the original owners.

With six bedrooms and four full baths, the 7,500-square-foot mansion was used first by George Wallace and subsequent governors until the 1997 hurricane.

The house is located at 540 Gulf Way Drive just southwest of the Kiva Dunes Resort and Gulf Course. There are no trespassing signs on the gates and walls of the property and an Islander staffer was asked to leave the premises and not take photos.

According to Ardis, assessment began this spring to determine what work was needed. Work will include replacing the roof, plumbing, electrical and central air systems, and repair of any other damage discovered during the project.

The exterior, including wood and stucco, will be replaced and other exterior surfaces will be refurbished. Ardis said features will also be added to the security of the mansion.

According to tax records Robert Bentley and Diane Bentley are listed as owners of a beachfront home at 8984 Pompano Way on the Gulf and a home just down the street at 8859 Pompano Way across the street from the Gulf. Those homes are just more than two miles east of the beachfront governor’s mansion in a separate neighborhood.