By Rich Pollack
Water and sewer system improvement projects and road renovations, along with public safety enhancements, were among projects in south Palm Beach County that survived state budget cuts and received funding.
While Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed many of the appropriations that made it through the legislative approval process, infrastructure projects in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Lantana received a green light as did public safety projects in Highland Beach and Delray Beach.
“The governor, the speaker of the House and the House budget chair all want to support Palm Beach County,” said state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who fought for many of the appropriations received by the area’s municipalities. “They recognize that we work hard to keep our residents safe and thriving.”
Water and sewer projects were a priority for the governor, according to Gossett-Seidman, and several projects in south Palm Beach County were funded. They include:
• The Golden Harbor Water Infrastructure improvements project in Boca Raton, which received $750,000 for replacing old pipes in the Golden Harbor community near Lake Wyman Park, east of Federal Highway. The project is scheduled to begin this year.
• The Boynton Beach Water System Improvement project, which includes replacing old pipes, received $375,000, half of the total $750,000 cost. The project is set to begin and end next year.
• Lantana’s Water Main Improvement Project, which included the second phase of a large-scale pipe replacement project that began last month, received $1.3 million.
Among the sewer projects funded are:
• A lift station replacement project in Lantana, which received $500,000 to rehabilitate four lift stations.
• The Sanitary Sewer Collection System Improvement Project in Boynton Beach received $500,000 to replace existing pipes. The total cost of the project, which is set to begin next year, is $1 million.
Both approved projects in Boynton Beach were sponsored in the Florida Senate by Sen. Lori Berman, and co-sponsored in the House by State Rep. Joe Casello. Berman also co-sponsored the Lantana water project, and the Golden Harbor project in Boca Raton with Gossett-Seidman.
Berman and Casello also shepherded a $600,000 request from Ocean Ridge for its water main replacement project through the Legislature — but DeSantis struck it from the budget.
One of the biggest South County projects to receive funding is the El Rio Trail Project in Boca Raton, which will include creating an underpass for the trail at Spanish River Boulevard. The trail is now detoured to Northwest Sixth Way and back at the boulevard because of safety crossing concerns following numerous crashes there.
The trail is a pathway for pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists and for other non-motorized uses along the El Rio Canal, east of Interstate 95 south of Yamato Road and west of the interstate north of Yamato. The city will receive $1 million for the project, which could cost as much as $7.5 million.
“The primary purpose of the El Rio Trail Project is to construct an underpass crossing of Spanish River Boulevard,” city officials said. “This underpass will connect the two segments of the El Rio Trail, thereby reducing illegal pedestrian crossing maneuvers and creating a more pleasant and safer experience for all trail users.”
Gossett-Seidman, who sponsored the appropriation in the House while state Sen. Tina Polsky sponsored it in the Senate, said that the crossing of Spanish River Boulevard has become more treacherous with the opening of the I-95 interchange.
The project could begin next year and be completed in about two years.
Another road improvement project, this one on the border of Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, received $1 million in funding.
The Gulfstream Boulevard/Southeast 36th Avenue Streetscape Improvement project will address degradation issues that are causing sinking of the roadway in several areas. The project, which has a total price of $2 million and will begin as early as this month, was sponsored by Berman in the Senate and Gossett-Seidman in the House.
“As someone who lives in the community, I was well aware of the significant degradation issues and am confident that this funding will help restore the roadway so it can stay in service in good condition for years to come,” Berman said.
The Legislature also funded two local public safety projects, including approving $250,000 to expand the reach of the Delray Beach Police Department’s Real Time Crime center, which includes cameras on the barrier island as well as in other areas of the city.
In Highland Beach, the town will receive $250,000 to help pay for a public safety dock on the Intracoastal Waterway that can be used by police and fire rescue personnel in the event of water-related medical emergencies. The town is hoping to get additional funding for the $2.2 million project from the Florida Inland Navigation District.
Gossett-Seidman and Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie say that the dock, specially designed for public safety, will be a facility that is available to all police and fire rescue departments in the area.
“The funding is a commitment from the state to put a regional public safety facility on the Intracoastal Waterway,” Labadie said.
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