ANNA MARIA – The Anna Maria City Commission authorized Mayor Dan Murphy to enter into a $1.41 million state-funded grant agreement for the expanded Reimagining Pine Avenue project.
On Feb. 8, the commission unanimously supported the mayor’s request to enter into the grant agreement pertaining to the $1.41 million state appropriation the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved last year for the expansion of the Reimagining Pine Avenue project that initially only included Pine Avenue.
The $1.41 appropriation provides state funds for the Spring Avenue and Magnolia Avenue portions of the expanded safety improvement project that will include the installation of permeable paver sidewalks, elevated, lighted crosswalks and street crossing signage designed to make those travel corridors safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.
In mid-2022, the Legislature and governor approved a $1.28 million appropriation for the initial phase of the Pine Avenue project and in early 2023 a similar grant was executed for those state funds.
During Thursday’s meeting, Murphy said the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is overseeing the city’s expenditure of state funds. He noted the Pine Avenue plans were completed more than a year ago but the plans and public input process have not been completed for the Spring and Magnolia portions of the project.
Commission Chair Mark Short noted that $352,000 in city funds are also committed to the Spring and Magnolia portions which have a preliminary estimated cost of $1.76 million.
City funds will be used to install new streetlights throughout the expanded project area.
Murphy said the city will seek additional state funds over the next couple of years to complete the project.
Commissioner Kathleen Morgan said she’d love to see a wider multi-use path included in the project plans.
ONE-BLOCK PROTOTYPE
Murphy also provided an update on the previously discussed and commission-supported one-block project prototype along both sides of Pine Avenue between Gulf Drive and North Shore Drive.
The prototype area will include the sidewalk, crosswalk and streetlighting elements proposed for the rest of Pine Avenue. The unpaved meandering paths in the prototype area will be replaced by paver sidewalks that follow the same meandering footprint.
Murphy said FDOT approved the one-block prototype concept that project engineer Gerry Traverso estimated would cost $425,000-$450,000 to complete.
Murphy previously said the one-block prototype would provide the city and its yet-to-be-selected construction firm a better idea as to what unexpected challenges and obstacles might be encountered as the project later progresses down the rest of Pine Avenue.
Murphy will soon present the commission with three prototype options to consider. The first option is to not do the prototype area, an option he doesn’t support. The second option is to inquire whether the Infrastructure Solution Services (ISS) engineering firm that provides the city’s primary city engineering service is interested in partnering with the Sarasota-based Jon F. Smith Construction firm to construct the one-block prototype. The third option is for the city to issue a request for proposals (RFP) seeking bids from construction firms interested in completing the one-block project.
“Either way, let’s move forward. We need to do something with Pine Avenue,” Murphy said.
Commissioner Gary McMullen supports using ISS and Swift to complete the prototype area. He said issuing an RFP would further delay the project. Murphy said the RFP process would take at least 60 days.
Short noted the state funds previously approved for the initial Pine Avenue portion of the project are supposed to be spent by the end of the current calendar year.
