Jacksonville Beach — On May 5 the City Council approved two public-works procurements: purchase of a replacement downtown compactor and a three-year contract for wet well tank and pipe cleaning with TV inspection services.

Public Works Director Dennis Barron explained the downtown compactor — serving multiple businesses behind the Seahorse/Seawalk area — has been in service for about 30 years and needs replacement. Council approved a motion to purchase a replacement compactor from Tampa Crane and Body through Marathon Equipment Company for an amount not to exceed $56,371. Council discussion clarified that the compactor is a city-provided centralized service that reduces the number of individual dumpsters downtown; the city funds and maintains the unit to allow some businesses to be exempt from having private dumpster enclosures.

Barron also introduced a request to award bid number 2425-04 for wet well tank and pipe cleaning and TV inspection to Wind River Environmental (doing business as Metro Rooter) as the primary vendor and Shenandoah General Construction LLC as the secondary vendor. The contract term is three years with up to three one-year renewals; the council authorized the mayor and city manager to negotiate and execute the contract and later delegated renewal authority to the city manager. Council members noted Wind River’s lower bid and confirmed the vendor’s satisfactory service history.

Why it matters: The compactor serves a concentrated downtown area, and timely replacement avoids operational disruptions and increasingly costly hard-to-source parts. The wet well and pipe-cleaning services are routine but critical to sewer system reliability and emergency response; having primary and secondary vendors helps ensure timely service for time-critical problems.

Decision details: Motion to purchase the compactor (amount not to exceed $56,371) carried on roll call; the wet well services contract award and the delegation to negotiate were approved. When council later voted to delegate authority to the city manager to approve subsequent renewals through the maximum contract term, one council member (Horn) voted "no" on that specific delegation; the motion nonetheless carried.

Implementation: Public Works will complete the compactor purchase and schedule installation. Procurement and Public Works will finalize the wet well services contract with Wind River Environmental as primary vendor and Shenandoah General Construction LLC as secondary, and the city manager will manage renewals per the approved delegation.

Voices from the meeting: Council Member Golding asked whether downtown businesses contribute to the compactor costs; staff explained the compactor model reduces the number of individual dumpsters and is provided by the city with the purpose of managing downtown waste more efficiently. Council Member Golding also questioned Wind River’s lower pricing; staff said the vendor has provided satisfactory service for prior terms and recommended the primary/secondary arrangement for continuity.