By Hannah Spence
While South Palm Beach executed a professional agreement with consulting engineering and surveying company Mock Roos & Associates in April to build a new lift station, the project isn’t expected to be finished until 2028.
Officials say the delay is because construction will be done only from May through October, avoiding the busier snowbird and tourist season, and because the town faces extended lead times to obtain some of the critical equipment needed for the project.
The lift station, the only piece of public property in town besides Town Hall, was constructed about 60 years ago and has not been renovated since the 1990s. Part of the work will be to raise the elevation of critical equipment. New Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance rate maps increased the required base flood elevations for much of coastal Palm Beach County.
“The rehabilitated lift station will ensure reliable wastewater collection and transmission for the Town of South Palm Beach, protecting public health and the environment,” said Senior Project Manager John Cairnes in an email responding to questions from The Coastal Star. “By upgrading aging infrastructure and incorporating modern flood protection measures, the project will improve resilience, reduce the risk of service interruptions during storms, and provide long-term reliability for both residents and visitors.”
The work will be done in five phases. A condition assessment is to be completed in September and will be followed by engineering design and permitting, bidding the work, construction engineering, and other engineering services.
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