DAPHNE, Ala. — May Day Park will close today for approximately 120 days to allow engineers and developers to construct a boat ramp and redesign the parking lot’s surface.

The new ramp will alleviate past problems with sand shifting along the park’s shore, according to City Clerk David Cohen, who said the sandbar shifts with low tides. “There was a lot of concern that sand was getting trapped,” he said. “This will alleviate some of the issues.”

Dr. Scott Douglas, engineering professor at the University of South Alabama, documented shifting sand patterns in a study he performed for the city. Douglas found that the majority of sand flows to the north, city site containment inspector Ashley Campbell said. Douglas recommended that May Day’s current boat launch —  which Campbell said now works like a barrier — be rebuilt and elevated to allow sand to migrate.

“It’s going to be a raised boat ramp built with concrete going out over the water about 50 yards,” Cohen said.

“The purpose is to get people out a little further to allow people to launch and to allow sand to move back and forth,” Campbell said.

“Our goal is to have as little environmental impact on the sand as possible.”

A portion of the project’s total $1.2 million cost will be paid by a $445,000 grant that will help cover construction and engineering costs; the city will pay the difference, Cohen said.

The project also includes upgrades to the recreational facility’s parking lot. The current gravel surface across from the Nicholson Center will be replaced by permanent paving stones.

“This will help with storm water runoff,” Cohen said. “The paving stones will act as a drainage system.”

“It’s a very forward-thinking, environment-friendly project,” engineer Micah Jones, of Thompson Engineering, said. “It will all but eliminate storm water runoff.”

The underlying, sandy soil reportedly will catch up to 90 percent of suspended solids like oil and gasolenes.