News

By Jane Smith

    The city will begin design work at its marina for a new sea wall, drainage system, docks and wheelchair-accessible sidewalks.
    In early November, the Delray Beach City Commission awarded a $99,494 design- and construction-administration contract to the Wantman Group of West Palm Beach.
    “It’s absolutely necessary,” said Commissioner Shelly Petrolia. Marine Way, between Southeast First and Second streets, floods during high tide events. Water from the Intracoastal Waterway flows over the sea wall and fills the road like a bowl, she said.
    The contract calls for Wantman to design a two-phase project to allow half of the marina tenants to stay during the construction. The marina has 24 slips.
    Wantman also will hold public meetings to solicit input from the tenants and other interested parties.
    Under the contract, the Wantman engineers will help city staff write the bid language and supervise the construction. The work is expected to begin in the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, 2018.
    It’s the third contract awarded to Wantman for work along the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Avenue.
    The city paid Wantman $80,000 to design the dock repairs and sea wall cap and supervise the construction at Veterans Park, north of Atlantic. That work should be finished in January.
    In October, Wantman was awarded a $284,373 contract for a one-block site analysis of Marine Way, from Atlantic to Southeast First Street. That stretch of Marine Way has a broken road bed that can’t support the weight of heavy trucks, private and unauthorized docks and a sea wall that is no longer usable. The project will require approvals from state and federal regulatory agencies.
    After the city finds out what’s allowed, Wantman will meet with property owners along that stretch of Marine Way and others interested, said Jeffrey Needle, the city’s stormwater engineer. The design work should be finished in the spring.
    Separately, in November, the city started a sea wall vulnerability analysis of the entire Intracoastal Waterway, estimated to be 21.4 miles. The city owns less than a mile of the sea walls.
    Aptim Environmental & Infrastructure of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was awarded the $198,473 contract in October to do the analysis. That work will be finished by June.
    The goal is to create a minimum sea wall height and a sea wall ordinance for property owners along the Intracoastal, Needle said.