Catt Sirten’s sunset concerts at Daphne’s Bayfront Park were once a hit, attracting patrons on a Sunday evening with big band music and a picturesque view of the Mobile Bay.

They were also a preview of things to come.

“I think it’s an asset they need to utilize,” Sirten, the influential radio DJ and concert organizer in Mobile told AL.com a few years ago, about the park that hosted the shows. Sirten died last weekend at age 68.

“It’s a real attraction for the people who live here.”

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What once was a far-out dream for Daphne, is now shaping into what one business owner said could be “soon the epicenter of Daphne.” Bayfront Park’s revitalization got an unexpected $7.2 million boost last month from oil and gas lease revenues announced by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.

The money will go toward building an amphitheater to host the same kind of concerts Sirten helped coordinate.

“For it to finally come to fruition is awesome,” said Mark White, sole owner of Moe’s Original Barbecue in Daphne who is building a new restaurant adjacent to the existing Moe’s location just east of Bayfront Park.

Surprising announcement

Ivey’s allocation to Daphne was part of an overall $67 million announcement of projects that got funding through the annual pot of oil and gas lease revenues that are returned to Mobile and Baldwin counties through the federal Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA).

The $7.2 million allocation to Daphne that will pay for the majority of the amphitheater, represented the single largest allocation to the 27 projects that received GOMESA funding within the governor’s announcement. The amphitheater, when built sometime in the next two years, will have a capacity of around 2,400 people.

“We definitely were surprised,” said Daphne Mayor Robin LeJeune. “I think the governor and (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) Commissioner (Chris) Blankenship see that we’re willing to move this forward.”

LeJeune said he anticipates the amphitheater being under construction by the end of 2024 or early 2025. The construction timeline will be between nine and 12 months, he said. The city has already hired Nextstage Design of New Haven, Connecticut, to design the venue.

LeJeune said the stage will be built adjacent to the waterfront, with a grass slope that overlooks Mobile Bay. “We want something that is broad range,” LeJeune said, noting that theater groups, musicals and organizations like Mobile Ballet would be able to host performances.

Amphitheater addition

The amphitheater is part of a multi-faceted plan by Daphne officials to utilize Bayfront Park as a public attraction and as a future entertainment district. The park, in fact, is closed and is the scene of a major construction zone as work crews are in the process of building new sidewalks, a roundabout, and other streetscape additions.

LeJeune said he believes the city’s willingness to spend its own money on the streetscape illustrates a vision for making the park a destination. Daphne has around $3.5 million invested into the streetscape project. That part is expected to wrap up sometime this fall.

Another $2 million from the city will match the $7.2 million in GOMESA funds for the amphitheater project. Also included in that project will be additional restrooms and more parking. “The city has been showing we believe in this project and are moving it forward, but that we do need help to make it happen,” LeJeune said. “We are appreciative (state officials) see this vision.”

Blankenship said that he and Ivey “are both dedicated to providing public access to waterways and that includes boating access and projects like this … where you have access to the water that makes the quality of life and living on the Gulf Coast so special.”

He and Alabama State Senator Chris Elliott, R-Josephine credited Daphne for moving forward with a “really good” and “visionary” plan for public access to the bayfront. Elliott said the city’s plan for waterfront access is the “exact same type of project GOMESA funds were designed for.”

Elliott sponsored legislation approved last year that ensures GOMESA revenues are spent only in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

“Every city near the water strives to have a vibrant waterfront with views and sunsets and restaurants and bars and there are a lot of things that go along with that,” he said. “This would not be possible without a pot of money like GOMESA.”

Rec center

The outdoor Bayfront Park is only part of the city’s overall vision for Bayfront Park Drive. It also involves turning a non-descript medical building into a recreational center.

Ivey OK’d $4 million in a previous GOMESA allocation so that Daphne city officials could purchase the Thomas Medical Center on U.S. 98, and within walking distance of Bayfront Park Drive. The overall $6 million purchase of the 80,000-square-foot building was backed by a $2 million allocation from city funds.

LeJeune said the city, as part of the purchase agreement, will lease parts of the building to the medical center for the next three years. The city is planning an eventual conversion of the entire building into an indoor recreational center that will overlook Mobile Bay.

“I would say that is a project that is six years out,” LeJeune said, adding that the city plans to build full-size basketball and volleyball courts, pickleball courts and other features inside the medical facility.

“We’re really trying to enhance what we have for citizens to enjoy the Bay whether they are indoors playing basketball or walking in an indoor track and looking out and seeing the Bay,” LeJeune said.

A new Moe’s

Additionally, the overall project includes extending an existing shoreline boardwalk north from Bayfront Park to Gator Alley Boardwalk and Interstate 10, and connect multiple parks that have long existed within the city.

The overall project represents a change for Daphne — Baldwin County’s largest city with close to 29,000 residents – since 2009, when White opened his second Moe’s Original BBQ restaurant inside what was once a residential house a short walk from Bayfront Park.

“The talks of an amphitheater at the end of the road have been going on since then,” he said. “Shortly before I moved in here, it was just a dirt road all the way to the water.”

White said his project, which involves building a new Moe’s restaurant and outdoor patio area east of the existing restaurant, should be completed in the spring 2024.

“The house I am in is quite old and was never designed to have all the people it’s had through it and what not,” said White. “So I’m in the process of building my dream store that will be quite a bit bigger and more efficient with drive-thru and rental spaces.”

City officials hope that Moe’s new restaurant will encourage other entrepreneurs to consider building eateries, shops and other attractions within the vicinity. A Publix grocery store, Dollar General Store, a Japanese Steak house, pet store and pet grooming resort are all among the businesses within walking distance.