Blame continues to be passed for deteriorating crosswalks on Bridge Street.
City engineer Lynn Burnett asked June 2 at the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency meeting that some “emotional-based” comments about her be removed from the minutes of a prior meeting before they were approved.
According to the minutes from that May 5 meeting, Angela Rodocker of the BridgeWalk motel said, “Whoever approved this from an engineer standpoint should be ashamed,” referring to LTA Engineers and the crosswalk project.
At the meeting in question, city attorney Ricinda Perry told CRA members that the crosswalks on Bridge Street, built in early 2020, are sinking, mostly due to inadequate compaction for heavy trucks driving over the pavers, attributing the explanation to Burnett, owner of LTA Engineering.
“I think (Angela’s comment) was in reaction to what she was hearing,” Burnett said.
“I’m asking that that please be stricken from the record, as it was not factual-based and we typically do not, in my experience with the minutes, include things that are emotional-based.”
Burnett said LTA is not responsible for designing the crosswalks on Bridge Street.
At the city commission meeting May 6, following the CRA meeting, Burnett provided documentation that LTA Engineers was not the project engineer.
Burnett said she was in Israel when the crosswalk work began and the contractor began the job against her direction.
She also said Perry, under direction from the CRA, told the contractor to move forward.
Perry countered June 2, saying Burnett’s father was present on the construction site during crosswalk inspections and supervision.
Burnett said her father was directed to stay away from the project as much as possible.
“It would have been nice if you had communicated with me before the meeting so we could get the facts straight. I don’t think this was an appropriate request,” Perry said.
Bradenton Beach CRA board members unanimously voted to approve the meeting minutes as presented, leaving Rodocker’s statement in the record.
Deputy clerk Christine Watson prepared the minutes.