GULF SHORES, Ala. — A crowd of several hundred state and local officials along with business leaders and anglers were on hand Thursday to lend enthusiastic applause as Gov. Bob Riley dedicated the new Gulf State Park Pier with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This pier, which has been open to the public since Monday, replaces a long-standing pier that was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

“One of the greatest things about being governor of the great state of Alabama is being able to take credit for great things like this,” Riley said. “Imagine the impact this will have on families. To say we have the best pier on the Gulf Coast.”

In an interview before the pier opening, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Chief Engineer Terry Boyd said the dimensions of the new pier are 20 feet wide and 1,512 feet long. The old pier was 14 feet wide and 875 feet long. “Our original intent was to make this pier the longest on the Gulf Coast,” Boyd said.

Boyd said the length of the old pier did not allow anglers to cast their lines beyond the second sandbar that lies approximately 1,400 feet from shore. “The fishing is better year round beyond that sandbar,” he said. “We decided that if we were going to build the pier to at least 1,400 feet, we may as well build it out to be the longest on the Gulf. There are some things you just do for marketing reasons.”

Alabama Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley said his department wanted to build something that would raise awareness of Alabama in the eyes of the region and the nation. “This goes a long way towards doing that,” he said. “We’re also going to use it as a tool for schools and others to use.”

Dave LaGasse, CEO of contractor LCI, Inc. of Memphis was on hand for the event, and presented Riley, along with several other state and park officials, with fishing reels and rods.

“These fishing poles are guaranteed to last at least one year,” he said.

One of the poles went to long-time Gulf State Park Superintendent Hugh Branyon who said he was going to put the pole to good use.

“My favorite part of the pier is the fishing. I’m a big flounder fisherman,” he said. “Although I also like talking to the people on the pier and seeing them happy.”

Branyon said he estimates the state has lost upwards of $1 million in revenue from the pier since Ivan destroyed the old one.

“We’ve lost at least $200,000 and up to $250,000 per year since 2004,” he said.

While the focus of the day was on the pier, several of the officials who spoke at the ribbon cutting mentioned breaking ground on a new hotel and convention center at the park. Riley has, in recent weeks, obtained the green light from the legislature to move ahead with plans for a new facility.

State Tourism Director Lee Sentell said completion and opening of the pier was the “second most important event to take place during Bob Riley’s administration.” He went on to say the most important event will be the groundbreaking and opening of the new Gulf State Park Convention Center.

Lawley said his department was “going full bore” working to complete the complex.

“We’ve had more than our fair share to rebuild during my term,” Riley said, referring to both the pier and the convention center. “One thing I will say is that when we rebuild, we rebuild bigger and better.”

Riley said when he was campaigning for governor, “literally two-thirds of the places we went to were out of state.” He said the new convention center would help curtail the business the state and coastal cities lose to neighboring states.

Orange Beach resident, author and comedian Andy Andrews was on hand for the ribbon cutting and offered a few words of his own. He said the old pier was special to him because he lived underneath it for a little while as a teen. However, beyond that, he said the fishermen who frequented the pier had an influence on him, and he would like to see that influence continue for generations.

“This place meant a lot to those of us who grew up and vacationed here. Parents used to drop us off in the care of a bunch of old men who made us say ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir,’” he said.

Then he summed up what most everyone felt in one short sentence.

“Let’s catch some fish,” he said.