By Willie Howard
The renovated parking lot at Lantana Beach should be lighted at night by late September.
With no discussion, the Town Council on May 11 unanimously approved a $39,700 contract with low bidder Wilco Electrical to install 16 concrete poles with decorative light fixtures at the town beach.
The contract covers only the cost of installation. The council in December approved the $48,000 purchase of the light fixtures and poles from Municipal Lighting Systems Inc.
The new lights will replace those that were removed when the beach parking lot and drainage improvements were done last year.
Town Manager Deborah Manzo said the town had intended to reuse the old lights, but they were so rusted that they crumbled when they were removed for the parking lot renovations.
The new lights are similar in design to those installed on Ocean Avenue in conjunction with the new bridge.
The fixtures will direct light toward the ground and are sea-turtle friendly, Public Works Director Mike Greenstein said.
Wilco Electrical was scheduled to begin installing the lights on May 18. Terms of the contract require the company to complete the job by Sept. 18.
The contractor will be allowed to work on the beach light installation between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Greenstein said the town also plans to install a third payment kiosk at the beach parking lot to make it easier for beach visitors to pay by the hour for parking.
In other action, the council approved a $2.7 million contract with low bidder West Construction Inc. to build new baseball and soccer fields at 903 N. Eighth St.
The old ball fields were removed as part of the demolition of the A.G. Holley Hospital complex that was completed in January, making way for a mixed-use development.
Manzo said money from the state and from developers will cover the cost of building the three baseball and two soccer fields. They’re scheduled to be complete by January.
The town has not decided whether it will manage the sports fields using town staff or find a private company to manage them.
“We are discussing our options and will make a recommendation to the Town Council if the fields will be managed by someone other than the town,” Manzo said.
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