Work on Manatee County’s force main replacement project on Holmes Boulevard has been underway for almost two years.
And a couple of Holmes Beach business owners are nearing the end of their wits over the many associated problems they have experienced.
Sarasota-based Spectrum Underground began work on the $3,492,035.25 project in March 2022. The project involves replacing 4,000 feet of 16-inch force main along Holmes Boulevard and 1,100 feet of 8-inch force main along 58th Street with new PVC lines.
Work also involves replacing existing water services and upsizing potable water lines along the stretch from 2-inch and 4-inch diameters to 6-inch diameter pipes.
Construction was initially projected to end a year ago, last November.
However, that timeline has been delayed multiple times due to complications with Holmes Beach’s nearby city center improvement project over the past year, Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and Hurricane Idalia in August.
The latest delay is due to a leak found when Spectrum was pressure-testing the new force main along Holmes Boulevard from 52nd Street to Gulf Drive.
To find the leak, the contractor had to re-dig some areas over the past month.
Project manager Brett Gocka wrote in a Nov. 3 email to The Islander that the contractor located and repaired the leak — believed to have been caused by a broken gasket — earlier this week.
Following the repairs, the pipeline passed pressure testing, allowing Spectrum to tie in both ends of the line and transfer the flow of water to the new main.
Other unfinished work includes replacing two fire hydrants and resurfacing the impacted roadways, as well as replacing damaged sod and sidewalk panels.
Gocka wrote, “A new schedule for completion will be submitted early next week.”
In the meantime, 20 months of construction may have proven to be too long for a couple of impacted business owners.
Sean Murphy, owner of The Doctor’s Office, 5312 Holmes Blvd., told The Islander Nov. 3 that he was considering filing a lawsuit against the county and contractor due to the project’s negative impact on the business.
Murphy said the force main project has heavily impacted The Doctor’s Office due to frequent construction that has closed parking and limited vehicle and pedestrian access and also resulted in foul-smelling emissions, loud noise and activity in the area.
He added that such problems have forced the business to close for days at a time.
“It’s had a devastating impact on sales and the incomes of employees who are waiting tables,” Murphy said. “The construction in front of The Doctor’s Office has been constant. … It just drags on and on.”
Construction along the roadway has also left much of the asphalt stripped near The Doctor’s Office, exposing sand and dirt that is blown along the corridor. Murphy said employees must now wash off outdoor furniture every morning due to the dust.
He added that neither the county nor the contractor has communicated with his business or others to update them about the ongoing construction. He said he called Spectrum to ask for assistance and was hung up on twice.
“The whole project screams negligence,” Murphy said. “The very fact that this project has stretched on for as long as it has. To watch them digging and re-digging the same holes over and over again. … There are people in the construction business somewhere that can do a better job than they’re doing.”
“How does the county expect us to respect their ability to build a parking garage in the middle of the island when they can’t pave 50 yards of road?”
Tony Caminite, owner of Home True Value Hardware, 5324 Marina Drive, said he would consider joining Murphy’s lawsuit since his business had also been negatively impacted by the force main project.
Caminite said his business was slightly insulated by its location in the Island Shopping Center, but construction had closed all but a handful of parking spaces and a rear store entrance on Holmes Boulevard.
He said construction has been an annoyance for almost two years and the lack of communication from the county or contractor regarding the work hasn’t helped mitigate the issues — or the frustration of seeing a previously excavated location getting dug up more than once.
He also complained about blowing sand becoming an issue after the contractor stripped sections of asphalt along Holmes Boulevard. He said he’d recently seen people shielding their eyes from the sand blowing in the wind.
“Overall, I’d be happy to see it end and get back to normal,” Caminite said.
People can learn more about the force main replacement project at amiprojects.io.