News

By Rich Pollack

    After months of planning and preparation, Highland Beach’s $2.8 million water main replacement project is expected to begin this month.
    “The contractor is ready to go,” said Public Works Director Ed Soper.
    As part of the project, approved by voters in March 2015, the town will replace approximately 6,700 feet of water mains serving residents on six public side streets.
    The current pipes were installed in the 1940s or ’50s and are about at the end of their life expectancy, Soper said.
    While there have been no major water main breaks recently, Soper said, the goal is to avoid an emergency situation, where replacement and repairs could be costly and residents throughout all of Highland Beach, not just in the impacted neighborhoods, could be inconvenienced.
    “Water mains are like your heart arteries,” he said. “You have to take care of them before it’s too late.”
    During the project, crews will dig a small trench in the road or public right of way and install new pipes. The current mains will be left in place and sealed.  
    In addition, crews will be improving water flow to fire hydrants in the area and replacing all older hydrants on the side streets while adding some hydrants.
    Soper said contractors expect the project to take between seven and eight months and added residents on the affected streets can expect minimal interruption to normal activity.
    To better explain the process and to answer any questions residents may have, the town will host a resident-notification meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Highland Beach Public Library.
    Soper and other town officials will attend the meeting, as will representatives from the engineering firm, Mathews Consulting, and the contractor, Mancon Inc.
    During the presentation, representatives will discuss the work schedule, explaining to residents when work will be done on the side streets and for how long they can expect disruption to their water service.
    Soper said the Town Commission will be asked to give final approval to the project at its Dec. 6 meeting with a notice-to-proceed for contractors to be issued Dec. 7.
    While crews are expected to start on the project before Christmas, Soper said any excavations will be restored before the holiday to minimize interruption.
    The public works director said he has heard concerns from residents worried about the impact the project will have on their property.
He said, however, that the town will work to keep that to a minimum.
    “We anticipate minimal damage to property. But if there is any, it will be restored to the same condition or better,” he said.
    During the project, crews likely will replace the current mains with more durable high-density polyethylene pipes.
    When the project is completed, residents living on the side streets can expect to have a more reliable system for potable water and fire suppression, Soper said.
    “This is a high priority for the town,” he said, adding that a similar project that affected residents along State Road A1A was completed in 2009.