There’s more road work ahead for Holmes Beach.
City commissioners unanimously voted Dec. 13 to approve a $424,600 contract and work order with Tampa-based Cardinal Engineering Collective to design and engineer a Gulf Drive improvement project.
The agreement stipulates Cardinal will provide survey, construction administration and inspection services.
The project involves adding a multiuse path and landscape buffers to both sides of Gulf to improve pedestrian safety and walkability.
The work will be divided into two phases covering different portions of the road.
The first phase will cover Gulf Drive north from the intersection with Holmes Boulevard to the merger with Palm Drive, while the second phase will cover Gulf from Manatee Avenue to East Bay Drive — altogether about two miles of roadway.
Mayor Judy Titsworth said the project would be paid with remaining funds from the U.S. American Rescue Plan Act, which provided the city with $2,156,176.
She said the roadways currently have a small sidewalk and no bicycle lanes, resulting in an unsafe situation for the people living along the corridor.
City engineer Sage Kamiya said their plans for city center improvements would use about $1 million of the ARPA funds and the remainder could be used to improve Gulf Drive.
Titsworth said if the design is finished and the work is estimated to cost more than expected, the city could seek other funding sources.
She added that an advantage of handling the work themselves — instead of waiting for the Florida Department of Transportation to improve the state road — is that they would not have to use DOT design criteria.
The city’s request for proposals included an anticipated overall project schedule, including:
- Final design completion by March 3, 2023;
- Advertise construction contract notice to bidders by April 2023;
- Award a contract for construction by June 2023;
- Construction starts by August 2023.
Commissioner Dan Diggins moved to approve the contract.
Commissioner Pat Morton seconded the motion, which passed.
In other matters…
City commissioners also:
- Unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance amending the city’s future land use map to change the use of 10 city-owned lots totaling more than 33 acres from residential to conservation, recreation and open space;
- Unanimously voted to approve a resolution adopting the city’s public information program to earn more points in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, which provides communitywide flood insurance savings based on CRS grade;
- Unanimously voted on motions to change Kim Garguile from an alternate to full-time member of the city’s parks and beautification committee, as well as appoint Debbie Hall and Loretta Estabrooks as the committee’s first and second alternate members;
- Unanimously voted to change Lisa Pierce from an alternate to full-time member of the city’s planning commission, and voted 4-1 to appoint Steven Oelfke as the planning commission’s second alternate;
- Unanimously voted to terminate the city’s agreement for lobbying services with Tallahassee-based Ramba Law Group and enter into an agreement with Lakeland-based Rushmore Consulting for lobbying services ahead of the 2023 state legislative session;
- Unanimously voted to execute an agreement for continued consulting services from Coconut Creek-based CRS Max Consultants;
- Unanimously voted to execute an agreement with Bradenton-based Kern Construction to repair the city’s trolley shelters.
The commission will meet next at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
Directions to attend via Zoom can be found at holmesbeachfl.org.
Proposed improvements for Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach include the addition of landscaped buffers on both sides of the roadway, with a sidewalk or multiuse path on the far side of the wider buffer. Islander Graphic: Courtesy Holmes Beach