Paradise Pump Station rehab pegged at $78M; sanitation projects, COPs and flood infrastructure discussed

Finance staff and the Town Manager updated the Finance Advisory Committee on the town's five-year capital program and funding approach, including large projects tied to sewer and flood infrastructure. Adam Wolf and Finance Director Chris Petlock described the Paradise Pump Station rehabilitation as a major sanitary-sewer infrastructure project with an estimated cost of about $78,000,000. Petlock also identified the Shorebird Marsh pump station as a separate flood-control pump project with preliminary costs in the $7 million to $8 million range. Petlock explained that the town and its Sanitation District 2 previously sold approximately $10,000,000 in certificates of participation (COPs) to fund utility capital work and may issue additional COPs in 2026-27. He said Sanitation District 2 is capital intensive, that its master plan included infrastructure repairs and additions, and that the district implemented a five-year rate increase to finance work over time. The committee discussed the need for staged financing and smoothing rate impacts for ratepayers. Wolf and Petlock told members that the town is planning significant climate-adaptation work such as bay-side berms and street-under-grounding projects (Christmas Tree Hill) and that staff intends to pursue grant funding and advanced design work to make projects "shovel-ready" when grants become available. Staff noted that not all funding for long-range projects has been identified and that prioritization will be required. Committee members asked about adequacy of infrastructure relative to projected sea-level rise. Petlock said master-plan studies included the best-available projections at the time but that more detailed, ongoing analysis will be required as projections evolve.