Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency board members tackled a problem May 5 with the crosswalk pavers on Bridge Street.
The issue for the CRA is that pavers placed by Custom Brick Pavers Inc. in 2020 are sinking at four crosswalk locations.
But the issue grew to be a blame game.
City attorney Ricinda Perry said she had asked Lynn Burnett, owner of LTA Engineers and a contractor for the city, for a permanent solution and Burnett advised asphalting in the pavers and stamping them or installing raised crosswalks.
According to Perry, Burnett said the crosswalk pavers would continue sinking no matter how well the base was compacted.
Further contributing to the problems on Bridge Street, curbing headers intended to hold the pavers in place are falling apart, Perry said, adding that they must be excavated and replaced.
Lt. John Cosby said the CRA was told epoxy would fix issues caused by erosion, but it did not.
Perry and others raised concerns about the design of the project.
But Burnett was not present to answer those concerns at the CRA’s May 5 meeting.
Instead, Burnett, presented a prepared statement May 6 to city commissioners at their meeting, clarifying that her company, LTA Engineers, did not design the Bridge Street crosswalks or install the pavers.
“LTA’s responsibilities were related to the maintenance and refurbishment of the (stormwater project) open-graded stone parking areas along Bridge Street to replace those areas with permeable pavers.”
Burnett said she went on vacation on Jan. 5 and on Jan. 8 it was “brought to my attention that Classic Brick had mobilized to begin the work. I immediately notified them in writing to cease and desist and remove all materials from Bridge Street.”
“Ricinda Perry, under the direction of the CRA board members, directed Classic Brick to commence work on the project,” Burnett said.
She added, “Ricinda assumed the role to provide direction and oversight of the means and methods of construction and installation of the permeable brick pavers….”
To move forward with the crosswalk repairs, the CRA received quotes for the following work:
- Woodruff and Sons, $114,000 to install asphalt and stamped pavers.
- C Squared Cert Contractors, $50,000 for stamped asphalt or $67,000 to install raised crosswalks with a stamped pattern.
Previously, the CRA had agreed to have Custom Brick replace the sinking pavers and compact the base at a cost not to exceed $7,200.
Angela Rodocker, owner of Bridgewalk motel on Bridge Street, favored keeping the pavers, compacting the base and installing non-pervious pavers.
“This is maddening to me,” she said. “As a taxpayer, I’m going to be brutally honest, I don’t know if this was all LTA, but whoever approved this from an engineering perspective to come back and say that this is not right, I have a problem with that,” Rodocker said.
“We depend on our engineering department,” she added.