Nov. 19–Construction of a $41 million, 200-room Westin hotel next to the Jekyll Island Convention Center is almost one-fourth of the way to completion.
Staff and board members of the Jekyll Island Authority, which operates the island state park, toured the construction site Monday after the board’s monthly meeting.
The hotel is to open by September, and board members were intrigued by the amount of work done so far.
The five-story hotel will feature a glass atrium, restaurant, tiki bar and exercise room, said Jim Baun, project superintendent for Pinkerton and Laws of Georgia, the general contractor.
With workers preparing Monday to start work on the third floor, the hotel is waiting for approval on what Baun calls “turtle-friendly” glass, which will reflect less light than other types.
Bright lights at night can be disconcerting to sea turtle hatchlings, which can follow them inland instead of swimming to sea with the moonlight.
Below grade, a 278-foot tunnel will allow for hidden deliveries of food and supplies. Baun says plenty of water-proof materials went into the construction of it.
Contractor Pinkerton and Laws will also do some work at the former Oceanside Inn and Suites being transformed into a Holiday Inn. Holiday Inn representatives are hoping for construction to begin no later than Dec. 1.
Representatives of a Hyatt Place hotel, to be constructed opposite the Westin, are committed to building the 135-room facility, the authority board was told Monday. Loan closing could occur in as little as 45 days, with construction beginning in April, authority Executive Director Jones Hooks said.
Prior to touring the construction site, the Jekyll Island Authority board postponed action on an island master plan until its Dec. 16 meeting.
A public comment period on the plan didn’t end until Friday night, and Langford Holbrook, a consultant with the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government, suggested allowing more time to review comments. He said he would have a plan for board members to view prior to the December meeting.
Separately, Ben Carswell, island director of conservation, recommended that the board create a committee to consider ways to control a growing deer population on Jekyll Island. Based on various surveys, including one on deer impact on plant life, Carswell said steps may need to be taken to protect the ecological balance of the island.
— Reporter Sarah Lundgren writes about education and other local topics. Contact her at slundgren@thebrunswicknews.com, on Facebook or at 265-8320, ext. 322.
