A tentative deal to paint the Historic Bridge Street Pier white has been struck.
The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency voted 6-0 July 10 to approve a $10,900 contract with Largo-based L&T Brothers to paint the pier white, except for the decking, top rail and roof. The project is based on designer Emily Anne Smith’s proposal for a white pier with a red roof.
Commissioner Randy White, also a CRA member, was absent with excuse.
Mayor John Chappie’s motion established public works manager Tom Woodard as the contact for L&T, as well as specified that approval is dependent on PPG Industries providing paint for the job at the same price it proposed earlier this year. The paint cost is included in the contract with L&T.
L&T president Mike Lowe, who presented the contract to CRA members at the meeting, said paint prices fluctuate and PPG might not be able to match the price it previously quoted the city.
Lowe added that L&T would need two days without rain to prep the pier, as well as 12-16 dry days to complete the job.
He recommended waiting until after the rainy summer season and suggested painting the pier in October or November.
CRA members agreed to a 30-day timeline for L&T beginning Oct. 15.
The city will pay L&T a $1,090 down payment, or 10% of the contract cost, before paying $2,180 for every completed fifth of the job until reaching 80% completion. The last 10% of the contract cost will be held as a retainer for completion.
The CRA was formed to promote restoration, growth and tourism in the district — bordered by Cortez Road, Sarasota Bay, Fifth Street South and the Gulf of Mexico — using incremental tax revenue from Manatee County after the area was declared blighted in 1992.
The agency consists of the mayor, four city commissioners and two appointed members, currently restaurant owner Ed Chiles and resident David Bell.
The CRA hired Smith in 2018 to produce an aesthetic vision for the district, which prompted the push for a paint job.
Chiles motioned to stop the paint job, citing Woodard’s concerns with maintenance costs, but withdrew the motion after city attorney Ricinda Perry said the CRA already voted twice to paint the pier white and proceed with the bidding process. She said the CRA could stop the process only if there was a valid legal reason.
Perry called the project a “test case” for the efficacy of painting high-traffic public structures that are subject to harsh conditions, such as salt spray and Florida sunlight.
CRA members also discussed installing starboard as a cutting board for gutting fish along the top rail of the pier after it is painted.
Other projects
CRA members have approved four other vision projects put forth by Smith, including constructing a gazebo outside the Bridge Street post office, replacing the trolley stop outside city hall, installing a flag tower at the pier and building a “Welcome Sunset Tower” alongside Gulf Drive.
Perry, previously directed to prepare bidding documents for the projects, said she still needed direction to move forward.
She said building official Steve Gilbert reviewed plans for the post office gazebo and told her the CRA needed to survey the property, as well as produce engineering plans for the flagpole foundation — which is to be relocated during the project — to move forward with permitting.
Smith said she was almost finished coordinating with Charles Sego, of Anna Maria-based Sego & Sego Structural Engineering & Interiors, for the engineering plans.
City engineer Lynn Burnett estimated the survey would cost $5,000 and the engineering plans around $2,500. She suggested Woodard handle the survey process.
CRA members voted 6-0 on Chiles’ motion to direct Woodard to complete the survey of the post office property while Smith finishes coordinating with Sego.
Perry said the new trolley stop at city hall is complicated because it requires approval from the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Manatee County Area Transit.
Smith said MCAT was enthusiastic about the project, but she had not communicated with the DOT or DEP about permitting.
Burnett estimated a permit from each department would cost $6,500, bringing the total permitting cost to $13,000.
CRA members voted 6-0 on a Chiles motion to direct Burnett and city staff to contact the DOT and DEP about permits for the trolley stop, while Smith coordinates with Sego for a cost estimate for the job and meets with Gilbert to review engineering plans.
Perry said the only problem with the flag tower is whether the pier foundation can handle the weight of the structure. She said Smith and Gilbert should meet and confirm the structural soundness before she moves forward with the procurement process.
Lastly, Perry said there are permit issues for the “Welcome Sunset Tower” with both the DOT and DEP. She recommended the CRA put the project on hold.
CRA members agreed to table the project without a motion and vote.