By Dan Moffett
Ocean Ridge residents soon could see tangible benefits from the Palm Beach County penny sales tax increase voters approved in November when the town begins repaving its streets.
Town engineers identified a priority list of 11 streets covering about 3.5 miles that need repairs.
Commissioners set aside $200,000 in the current fiscal year’s budget to help pay for the work, and the town is counting on roughly $100,000 in penny sales tax revenue through the fall to cover most of the balance or help pay the costs of traffic calming devices.
A final report from engineers determined most of the repaving will be “typical mill and overlay work,” said the town’s engineering consultant, Lisa Tropepe of Engenuity Group. Tropepe’s findings showed the town’s streets won’t need major rebuilding.
Town Manager Jamie Titcomb says commissioners will have the flexibility to add or subtract streets — and determine which streets should be done first — during the first phase of what figures to be a multiyear project to repave nearly the entire town.
The town will be able to join a paving contractor’s contract with several other Palm Beach County communities to minimize red tape and get the project going relatively soon. Titcomb said contractors are in store for a busy summer of street work because other municipalities are using their penny tax revenue to make repairs, too.
Newly elected Commissioner Don MaGruder said to avoid damaging new work, the town shouldn’t repave streets around construction areas until after the heavy trucks are gone.
The streets scheduled for repair in the first phase of the project this summer are Engle Drive, West Anna Street, East Anna Street, Ridge Lane, Beachway Drive, Harbour Drive North, Harbour Drive South, Island Drive, Island Drive South, Bonita Drive and Marlin Drive.
In other business:
• Commissioners approved Geoff Pugh as mayor and James Bonfiglio as vice mayor for one-year terms. Pugh, 54, has served on the commission since 2003 and as mayor for five years.
Bonfiglio, 63, joined the commission in 2014 and was appointed vice mayor late last year after the resignation of Richard Lucibella.
• Titcomb told commissioners that, during the upcoming budget workshops, the town should consider creating a full-time building clerk position to deal with the “exponential increase” in requests for building permits and inspections.
The town currently hires an outside contractor to handle its permitting and inspection work.
Titcomb said having an in-house inspector could improve efficiency and generate fees to help cover the expense of creating a new employee position. Commissioners agreed to consider the idea during their budgeting process for the next fiscal year.
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