The City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency voted to proceed with physical bump-outs as part of the St. John's Avenue Pedestrain and Cyclist Safety Phase 2 project, a Florida Department of Transportation grant-funded effort expected to go to bid this fall.

Staff member Dominguez, who presented the proposal, told the board the FDOT grant totals $1,500,000 and the project covers St. John's Avenue from the 400 block to the 1,100 block. Dominguez said phase 1 (milling and resurfacing) was completed in January 2025 and phase 2 would add ADA-compliant sidewalks, landscaping, construction engineering and inspection (CEI) and other street-safety measures.

The project budget, Dominguez said, shows grant funds available for construction and a city match that was updated to $600,000 for the coming fiscal year. Dominguez presented two options the board had discussed previously: physical concrete bump-outs at intersections or lower-cost striping treatments. He said the engineer’s cost estimate for construction (excluding bump-outs) is about $1.42 million and noted CEI costs remain to be contracted.

Commenters and staff debated trade-offs including cost, schedule and merchant access. Commenter Joe Briscio advocated for a lower-cost striping alternative and highlighted data on blinking stop signs and automated markings; he said the devices being discussed have a per-sign cost of about $2,200 and that one proven traffic-calming approach had been cited to reduce “flow-throughs” in some studies. Resident Jeremy Alexander urged the board to weigh prior community planning and merchant meetings that produced support for bump-outs during earlier outreach, and he said many survey comments reflected concern about losing parking.

Dominguez and other staff quantified the differences: striping would cost roughly $5,000–$6,000 per block (an aggregate estimate of about $48,000 for the project), while physical bump-outs were estimated at about $45,000 per block. The project covers eight blocks from the 400 block to the 1,100 block; staff said the city has an unencumbered CRA match balance that could pay for bump-outs if the board chose that option.

Board members also discussed timing. Dominguez said the grant’s performance period runs through Dec. 31, 2026; if the board decided to proceed immediately, the engineer would send documents to FDOT, bids would be solicited in October with contract presentation in November, and a contractor could start in January. Staff cautioned that some choices (notably striping vs. bump-outs) could require plan revisions and additional FDOT review, which could affect schedule.

After discussion and public comment, the board voted to proceed with the physical bump-outs shown in the FDOT‑approved plans for Phase 2. The motion carried with three commissioners voting in favor and one opposed; the board recorded a single opposing vote and no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The board and staff also discussed additional pedestrian-safety elements that are not part of the FDOT grant. Staff noted a recommendation to add blinking stop signs downtown—15 existing, with one additional site under consideration—at roughly $2,200 per sign. Those signs would be paid from CRA funds if adopted and are not included in the FDOT construction budget.

The board directed staff to move forward with the project schedule so the engineer may prepare bid documents based on the approved bump-out design and the CRA match and CEI budget adjustments.

Looking ahead, Dominguez said the contractor’s work cannot exceed one year under the current schedule and that staff will return with contract award recommendations once bids are received.