BRADENTON BEACH – The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) finds itself in a race against time to complete the long-desired installation of a police department boat lift next to the Bridge Street Pier.
The boat lift project must be completed by Sept. 30 in order to take advantage of a $50,000 West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) grant approved by Manatee County commissioners in May 2017.
The police boat currently sits on a trailer parked near the police station and must be trailered to a boat ramp to be placed in the water.
Complicating matters is the necessity for the boat lift to be connected to the floating dock that must first be repositioned to the east by approximately 8 feet by Hecker Construction Company, which installed the pre-manufactured dock in mid-2019 for $11,600.
Further complicating the boat lift installation timetable is the need for contract engineer Joe Foster to separately engineer the dock repositioning and the boat lift installation.
During the Wednesday, Sept. 2 CRA meeting, City Attorney Ricinda Perry said Mayor John Chappie had sought an extension for the WCIND grant in vain.
“Moments ago, I received the information that we do not get an extension, so it must be completed by the end of the month,” Perry said.
Lt. John Cosby, of the Bradenton Beach Police Department, also addressed the growing sense of urgency.
“This WCIND money for this boat lift has to be expended by Sept. 30th, which means we have to approve this vendor and they have to get this boat lift installed. It has to be invoiced, it has to be paid and I need a canceled check by Sept. 30th in order for us to receive this money,” Cosby said.
If installed as planned, the boat lift will be placed perpendicular to the pier and floating dock in the open space between the west end of the dock and the corner of the pier walkway near the Anna Maria Oyster Bar’s outdoor seating area.
Police Chief Sam Speciale and the CRA members originally envisioned installing the boat lift on the north side of the pier. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection would not approve that location because it would infringe on the riparian rights of the neighboring Pines Trailer Park.
On Aug. 27, Duncan Seawall, Dock & Boat Lift General Manager Steve Porter submitted the only response to the city’s request for proposals to install the boat lift.
Duncan’s bid response proposed a $41,279 cost to install a 16,000-pound-capacity aluminum and stainless steel boat lift manufactured by Golden Boat Lifts and supported by four pressure-treated, marine-grade pilings driven into the bay bottom.
Before Wednesday’s CRA meeting began, Porter emailed Perry an additional quote for a 10,000-pound-capacity lift that would cost $37,813.
During the meeting, Porter said the cost estimates include the water and electrical lines and connections, the remote control, the security lighting and a walk-up catwalk. Porter said the lift, as currently designed, must be located at the west end of the floating dock.
Porter said the police boat weighs 3,000 pounds and he recommended a 10,000-pound-capacity lift.
“Give us two weeks after approval and it’s installed in a week,” he said.
CRA Chairman Ralph Cole said Hecker Construction needs a barge to reposition the floating dock and he did not know how much advance planning that would require. He said he would do his best to get that work done as soon as possible.
Perry said she would help coordinate the efforts to get all the needed work done in the remaining timeframe.
“If I cannot get this engineering done and I cannot get the dock moved in time, we’re probably not able to move forward and I don’t want to bind the city to expend $50,000 at this time. Truth be told, we don’t have it in our budget to do that,” Perry said of the boat lift project’s current reliance on WCIND funds.
The CRA members were divided on the need for Foster to engineer the boat lift installation but given the time constraints, they approved doing so.
The CRA members approved the installation of a 10,000-pound-capacity boat lift, contingent on the WCIND funds being available, and Porter said he understood the CRA’s position and time constraints regarding the grant money.
