GULF SHORES, Ala. - Work on restrooms at the main public beach in Gulf Shores are almost complete according to Public Works Director Mark Acreman.

“We’re renovating the men and women’s bathrooms at the main beach facility down at Gulf Place,” Acreman told the City Council on June 11. “Some of it is substantially completed and will be wrapped up here in a few days.”

In other city news, the city will announce the results of the branding and wayfinding survey that has been ongoing for almost a year at a June 29 beach news conference. And city Emergency Management Director Brandan Franklin announced he is planning a hurricane awareness seminar on June 26.

Acreman said once all the remaining new parts come in city crews can finish the job.

“We have a few little parts that are on order,” he said. “New fixtures, new hand dryers, new partitions, new paint. It kind of coincides with the external renovations that we just completed.

“I think it’s going to be a huge improvement to our main public restroom facilities for our citizens as well as our visitors. We’re very proud of that work.

Another project Acreman is working on is to seek quotes for electrical installation for the backup generators for the annex building and the city CDD building.

“That will be online shortly here as well,” he said.

Great Destination Strategies of Seattle, Wash., and Total Destination Marketing of Tualatin, Ore., have been working on the branding and wayfinding initiative since last summer.

The firms did preliminary work with members of the community through focus groups and other meetings. The city approving hiring the firm in June at a cost of $200,000.

“In a preview for an upcoming branding and wayfinding initiative report we started to send out a “save the date” for an event that will be the main public beach at 10 o’clock on Friday, June 29,” Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs Grant Brown said. “You’ll start seeing some items in the press and invitations and all of the hoopla leading up to that. That’s all I can reveal at this point.”

Mayor Robert Craft said he’s received two inquiries from Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby’s office after they received the invitations.

“I’ve gotten two emails from Sen. (Richard) Shelby’s folks in Washington saying ‘what’s going on? The senator wants to know,’” Craft said. “I said ‘I can’t tell you. Come on down and join us and you’ll enjoy it.’

“It’s working. It’s creating some interest out there.”

Franklin said the public will be invited to the Hurricane Awareness Meeting and several other nearby cities will also have representatives on hand.

“We’ll invite Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and probably Foley,” he said. “Either at the Adult Activity Center or the Civic Center. We’ll just prepare everyone, give an update on how the cities are preparing and what they should prepare for for this upcoming hurricane season.”