BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners want to make stormwater and drainage improvements along Avenue C sooner rather than later. As part of that process, the commission also wants to restore, at the city’s expense, the Avenue C driveways disturbed as part of Manatee County’s force main replacement project.
During the Tuesday, Oct. 9, work meeting, commissioners tentatively agreed to accelerate these previously discussed city projects. City Engineer Lynn Burnett was authorized to bring back to the commission a proposed $302,626 contract from Westra Construction – the company hired by Manatee County to do its force main project.
In the past, the city contracted Woodruff & Sons to install the 57 stone-topped vertical infiltration trenches and alley-based drainage improvements. The original plan was to use Woodruff again for the Avenue C stormwater and drainage improvements planned for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
During last week’s work meeting, Burnett said the city could save approximately $20,000 in mobilization costs by having Westra do the job now, while still onsite finishing up the county force main project.
More importantly to Avenue C residents, Burnett said having Westra do the work would significantly reduce the time that the Avenue C driveways and city rights of way remained in an unfinished state.
Approximately 10 months ago, Westra began tearing up Avenue C and the connecting driveways and yards located in the city-owned rights of way.
The project timetable Burnett presented last week proposed the contract with Westra be executed this month, which would then allow the stormwater and drainage projects to begin in November and be completed in February. The final restoration of the Avenue C driveways and rights of ways would then occur in March and April and include the final paving of Avenue C.
The previous plan called for Westra to simply restore the impacted driveways and rights of ways with the 57-stone that would remain in place until the city’s contractor came along to do the city-funded stormwater improvements beginning in late 2019.
As part of this modified approach, Burnett proposed the new four-foot wide infiltration trenches include honeycombed, plastic eco-grids that sit atop the fine sand that replaces the muddy soil removed to create the trenches.
The eco-grid will then sit below the final surface material of the property owner’s choice. If the property owner had brick driveway pavers removed and stored as a result of the county project, those pavers will be replaced atop the eco-grid. If the driveways and rights of way were covered sod, grass, concrete, asphalt, 89 stone or 250 shell mix, those areas will be similarly restored.
Driveways not already disturbed by the force main project will not be disrupted by the stormwater project.
Previous infiltration trenches installed elsewhere in the city were topped with white, lime rock 57 stone that proved problematic in high traffic areas. Burnett said later there will be no visible lime rock associated with the Avenue C project.
During the work meeting, Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Ralph Cole stressed the importance of the repaved Avenue C being graded in a manner that allows rainwater to properly drain toward the outfalls that empty into the bay.
The Avenue C residents who attended last week’s meeting encouraged the commission to get Avenue C fully stored as soon as possible, even if that means working through another peak tourism season.
Project funding
For the stormwater and driveway restoration projects to begin nearly a year ahead of schedule, two budget amendments have been scheduled for discussion at the commission’s regular meeting at noon on Thursday, Oct. 18.
The commission will be asked to approve a $140,161 budget amendment for the driveway restoration project and a $151,350 budget amendment for the stormwater and drainage improvements.
Before the budget amendments are voted on, the commission will be asked to release $400,000 previously set aside in the restricted pier reserve fund. On Monday, Chappie said that fund previously provided the city with self-insurance for the Bridge Street Pier that is now insured.
Southwest Florida Water Management District grants and future stormwater assessment revenue will help the city recoup the cost of these projects in future fiscal years.
