From David Volz
During a recent meeting, the Fort Lauderdale Commission approved large contracts and development proposals that will be important to the future of the city.
The Commission approved a fourth amendment to the interlocal agreement between the city and Broward County for the free Community Shuttle service. The amendment will reimburse the city for operating costs that exceeded available funding from January 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023, revise route schedules, account for an additional vehicle, and establish funding for fiscal year 2024. The amendment also adds provisions regarding prohibited telecommunications equipment and criminal history screening practices. With this change, the maximum reimbursement amount from the county increases from $909,000 during fiscal year 2023 to approximately $1.56 million. The additional funds will be used to expand service hours for the Beach, Downtown, and Las Olas links and an additional vehicle for the Neighborhood Link
The Commission approved a resolution of support endorsing new municipal capital projects as part of the 2024 Mobility Advancement Program Projects for Broward County surtax funding. The city submitted surtax applications for three projects: NE 26th Street Complete Streets project construction, SW 14th Avenue and Middle Street construction, and Breakers Avenue Traffic Calming construction. The application for the NE 26th Street Complete Streets project requests approximately $9.7 million in surtax funding. The SW 14th Avenue and Middle Street project requests approximately $7.9 million in funding, and the Breakers Avenue Traffic Calming project requests $10.6 million.
The Commission approved a construction agreement with Sagaris Corp. for approximately $2.9 million for Commercial Boulevard parking lot improvements. The project will include pavement resurfacing, new landscaping islands, ADA crosswalks, and new signage for the parking lots along the north and south sides of E. Commercial Boulevard between NE 24th Terrace and NE 51st Street.
The Commission approved an agreement with RF Environmental Services, Inc. for $901,900 for sluice gate replacements at the Fiveash Water Treatment Plant. The current sluice gates range from 40 to 60 years old, and several of the gates no longer function properly. The project replaces 19 of the most critical gates. Sluice gates control the water flow in the plant and isolate sections of the plant during maintenance and repair activities.
The Commission approved the acceptance of approximately $704,000 in grant funds from the Florida Department of Education intending to implement an Education Enrichment program. The program is designed to enrich an academic program that saw more than 2,000 low-income students attend and master three or more reading and math skills. With the grant funds, the program builds on that success by adding after-school enrichment, workforce exploration, and citizenship development. The neighborhoods targeted for the program reside in communities with the lowest-performing schools in the district, where average English language arts proficiency is between 15% and 45% and math proficiency is between 19% and 48%.
The Commission authorized the city to submit a grant application to Florida Inland Navigation Districts – Waterways Assistance Program for the Riverwalk North seawall replacement from Andrews Avenue to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. The grant application is requesting $3 million and would include a 50% funding match from the city. The project will provide access to the waterways for the taxi boats that visit the Riverwalk North business area and floating docks for public access to the businesses located along the Riverwalk. Additionally, the aging and damaged seawall will be replaced with a new wall that is resilient to climate change and sea level rise and will serve as an anchor for a living seawall that will be used as a pilot project for water quality and sea life enhancements.
The Commission approved a grant agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to design the Tarpon River and Shady Banks Neighborhood Improvements project. The approximately $708,000 grant will be used for the design phase, which includes pedestrian lighting, raised intersections, and sidewalk construction in Shady Banks and a mini roundabout, raised table intersection, and sidewalk and pedestrian lighting in Tarpon River. More than $1.6 million has been programmed for the project’s construction once the design is completed and approved.
