With visible progress, the Sandbar at the city marina is approaching its final weeks before completion. Gordon McLendon, owner of the Sandbar restaurant, said the facility should be open for the public to enjoy by the end of the year.

“On our progress, the building is about 99.8 percent complete,” McLendon said. He also said kitchen equipment installation is almost finished too; everything is simply waiting on approval from city inspectors.

Once the restaurant is open, McLendon said it will offer an exceptional view of the river and a clean, family friendly environment.

“We want that kind of atmosphere where people can come in during the day and enjoy themselves,” McLendon said of the restaurant, which will be smoke-free inside. “They can come in during the lunch hour, have a good meal, have a great view and be back to work within an hour.”

Kim Fischer, general manager of the restaurant, said the menu will offer an array of options. Catfish, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, club sandwiches, salads and veggie burgers are just a few entrees that will be served at the Sandbar.

“We eventually hope to maybe have a filet and some pasta dishes too,” Fischer said.

Bar hours haven’t been established yet, but McLendon said he is planning on serving beer, wine and liquor once an alcohol license is obtained. Since both the main building and decks are near completion, McLendon said he is just waiting on minor details before the business opens. Once open, he said the restaurant and marina will be a an asset to Selma through boosted revenue in tax dollars.

“During the spring, summer and fall, there’s a huge amount of boat traffic that comes through here,” McLendon said. “That’s just going to be a lot more tax revenue for the city as well as our sales.”

Mclendon, who owns the restaurant along with David Pearce Jr., said he has always wanted to bring a restaurant like this to Selma, especially one on the marina.

“I was born and raised in Selma,” he said. “I just felt like this was a new challenge and adventure at this location. David Pearce and I, we felt like we could make this happen with the people that we know and bring something back to Selma that it needs.”