NAVARRE BEACH, FL - Construction on the roughly $3.5 million repair of Opal Beach Park is nearing completion, and portions of the park were reopened for the first time in nearly five years this past weekend.

Opal Beach Park had been closed since most of its picnic and restroom facilities were destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

"It went well. There wasn't a lot of people who were aware (it was open)," said Jerry Eubanks, superintendent of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, of which the park is a part. "There's still a lot of construction going on in there and people driving by would tend to think it's still a construction area."

Two picnic areas on the gulf side of the park and one on the sound side were reopened last weekend. With construction winding down, Eubanks said other sections of the park will be reopened as they are completed.

Construction on the park is expected to be complete by the end of the month.

Plans for the repairs and funding for the project were finalized more than two years ago, but construction did not start on the repairs until late last year because of delays in reopening State Road 399.

Opal Beach Park is now open from 8 a.m. to sunset, and lifeguards will be posted at the park from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Admission to the park is $8 for an eight-day pass and $25 for an annual pass, Eubanks said.