Pine Avenue in Anna Maria may look a little different by spring.
City commissioners unanimously voted Nov. 17 to approve up to $125,000 for design and engineer improvements conceived during the city’s “Reimagining Pine Avenue” workshops.
Mayor Dan Murphy said the city might piggyback onto an agreement to complete the work but he did not name a contractor.
Improvements will include:
- Installing pervious paver meandering sidewalks;
- Adding and enhancing crosswalks;
- Adding and enhancing street lighting;
- Converting the trolley turnaround at the east end of Pine to include room for delivery trucks;
- Adding bicycle paths on both sides of Pine.
Murphy also presented a tentative timeline to wrap up improvements within 25 weeks, beginning the week of Dec. 13 and finishing June 6, 2022.
The contractor hired by the city will begin engineering and design work the week of Dec. 13 for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.
The designs will go before city commissioners for approval in week 5 and, if approved, the city will issue a request for contractor proposals over the following four weeks.
Construction on both projects will begin after a contractor is selected in week 10. Crosswalk improvements are projected to take four weeks to complete, while sidewalk improvements will take 12 weeks.
They then will begin engineering and design work for the next two projects, lighting improvements and the addition of a turnaround at the east end, in week 5.
Design and engineering is projected to finish within three weeks for the lighting project and five weeks for the turnaround, at which point the plan will go before commissioners for consideration.
If commissioners approve the designs, the city again will enter an RFP process to select contractors.
Construction on lighting improvements is projected to finish in week 17.
Construction on the turnaround is slated to last the remainder of the 25-week timeline despite design work beginning three weeks before it’s planned to begin on bike path improvements.
Bike path improvements also are projected for completion in week 25.
Murphy said the timeline is the “best-case scenario” in which no projects were delayed due to weather or supply issues and is likely to change.
He added that the improvements will cost about $1.363 million. The city has $73,000 budgeted and is requesting $1.29 million in state appropriations to fund the work.
Murphy said the city will learn the fate of its funding request in weeks 9-10 — before construction is slated to begin on sidewalk and crosswalk improvements — so the financial risk of moving forward with the projects would be minimal.
However, he expressed confidence in the request, saying state Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, spoke in support of it while visiting the city for the Veterans Day parade.
Murphy added that the city’s historic preservation board is exploring designating the Pine Avenue corridor as historic, which could open a new funding source.
Commissioners will meet next at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive. The meeting is open to the public, with masks recommended. Instructions to attend via teleconference are available at cityofannamaria.com.