ANNA MARIA – City commissioners have selected the specific type of pervious brick pavers to be used to install new sidewalks along Pine Avenue.
The first phase of the new brick paver sidewalks will be installed between Gulf Drive and North Shore Drive, where no concrete sidewalks currently exist. The initial block-by-block sidewalk installation project will progress in four separate phases toward the end of Pine Avenue near the city pier. The existing concrete sidewalks along Pine Avenue are expected to be replaced during later phases of the Reimagining Pine Avenue safety improvement project.
On Sept. 11, Mayor Dan Murphy told city commissioners that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) approved the city’s proposed $233,000 contract with the Eason Builders Group for the phase one sidewalk installation. Murphy said a preconstruction meeting with Eason Builders and FDOT was scheduled for Monday, Sept. 16.
With the contract approved, Murphy said the commission needed to select the specific pavers to be used. General Manager Dean Jones presented commissioners with two pavers that featured slightly different shades of gray – granite or glacier. Jones said there’s no price difference between the two gray-hued pavers that are among the most widely used and most readily available in the industry. Jones said using a different colored paver would result in an 8- to 10-week delay.
Murphy noted the granite-colored paver is slightly lighter than the glacier-colored paver and the lighter-colored paver would absorb and retain less heat. The commission unanimously supported Murphy’s recommendation to use the lighter granite-colored pavers.
Related coverage: Contract signed for Pine Avenue sidewalks
