Homestead advances Chrome Avenue infrastructure work; council approves utility contracts and budget increase

City of Homestead officials on Feb. 11 presented a multi-part plan to rebuild Chrome Avenue and associated infrastructure, outlining permitting and procurement milestones aimed at keeping the project ahead of a March 2028 grant expiration. The City Council earlier in the meeting approved several municipal actions, including a $1.25 million budget increase to the workers’ compensation fund and contracts for utility software, architectural cost estimating and lab testing services.

The presentation to the Committee of the Whole described the Chrome Avenue work as three linked packages. A project consultant said parts A and B — described as “chrome improvements” and water-main upgrades — must be done together because the water-main permitting drives the schedule. The consultant said the team expects to finish the signed design by June, allow roughly four months for permitting, and start procurement in October with an aim to complete procurement by December so a construction contract could be in place in January; construction was estimated at about 18 months. “Part A and part B…the controlling factor for us currently is the water main improvements because the permit is something that's started recently,” the project consultant said.

City staff said they will require contractors to use a rolling‑operation approach to limit business disruption, completing work block by block before moving on. The presentation also grouped three capital efforts — water, sewer and roadway — into a combined delivery approach; staff cautioned that coordination raises schedule complexity. Council members and staff repeatedly noted the risk of unexpected underground conditions and said the plan aims to build schedule contingency. One council member observed past local projects were delayed when unrecorded subsurface infrastructure was discovered; staff replied that the schedule targets finishing about nine months ahead of the grant expiration to create buffer time for such issues.

Part C is the roadway package. Staff said design for that package is expected to be finished by March, followed by a roughly three‑month procurement period and construction that staff hope will finish by year‑end. The presentation named affected streets beyond Chrome Avenue — Norfolk Third Street, Fourth Street and Fifth Street — and said some reconstruction will be substantial because of the new water main work.

The trolley stop portion of the project will require coordination with Miami‑Dade County and the Federal Transit Administration to finalize stop locations and funding eligibility for shelters. When asked whether the planned trolley shelters would be lighted, the project consultant replied, “They’re not,” and added the team will look into solar‑powered shelters: “If you look at the new generation shelters…and all of them have solar power. So that's something we will look into to incorporate in our design,” the consultant said. Mayor Lawson and other council members said incorporating solar power would avoid the need for complex underground electrical work if shelters are installed later.

On sewer capacity and related city infrastructure, staff reported progress toward certification of a bypass and other work at a critical pump station that is tied to a county moratorium affecting pending development applications. City staff said they met with Miami‑Dade permitting officials, completed a bypass construction step and were awaiting electrical finalization; once certified by Miami‑Dade, the county would monitor the work for roughly 30–45 days and could lift the moratorium. The city manager said the pump station work has drawn close county scrutiny and that federal appropriations of $2.3 million are being sought to fund the next phase of construction. Staff also said pumps purchased with other funds are on site and ready.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance (second reading) — Ord. No. 4505: Amend FY 2024–25 workers’ compensation fund budget by increasing revenues and expenditures by $1,250,000. Moved by Councilman Cannonball; seconded by Councilman Roth. Roll call: Councilman Davis — yes; Councilman Cannonball — yes; Councilman Roth — yes; Councilwoman Avila — yes; Mayor Lawson — yes. Outcome: approved. - Resolution — Purchase of outage management software and services from MillSoft Utility Solutions; exemption from competitive bidding cited (City Code § 2‑4‑11(a)(7)) for an initial five‑year term. Moved by Councilman Ross; seconded by Councilman Cannonball. Roll call: Councilman Ross — yes; Councilman Davis — yes; Councilman Cannonball — yes; Councilwoman Avila — yes; Mayor Lawson — yes. Outcome: approved. - Resolution — Accept proposal and approve work authorization with Romillo and Magellan Partners for cost estimating services for the Powell Center at Lakey Park (RFQ 2015‑2). Moved by Councilman Davis; seconded by Councilman Cannonball. Roll call: Councilman Davis — yes; Councilwoman Avila — yes; Councilman Categall — yes; Councilman Roth — yes; Mayor Lawson — yes. Outcome: approved. - Resolution — Authorize city manager to execute agreement for lab testing services with Florida Spectrum Environmental Services Inc.; exemption from competitive bidding per City Code § 2‑4‑11 (procured by another governmental entity). Moved by Councilman Manavala; seconded by Councilman Cannonball. Roll call: Councilwoman Avila — yes; Councilman Cannonball — yes; Councilman Davis — yes; Councilman Raul — yes; Mayor Lawson — yes. Outcome: approved.

Context and next steps Assistant City Manager Kima Brand reviewed ARPA spending and multiple city projects in the committee presentation. Brand said the city had encumbered $13.3 million in ARPA dollars (up from a prior report of about $9 million) and reminded council the initial encumbrance milestone was met and that expenditures must be completed by Dec. 30, 2026. Staff also gave updates on other capital work funded with ARPA or other sources, including tennis‑court resurfacing and Wi‑Fi installations at JD Red Park, portable solar lighting and surveillance, the “America 250” water tower painting project (with a forthcoming call to artists), building renovations and city hall furnishings, and a citywide permitting software rollout planned in phases with Phase 1 targeted for completion by Sept. 30, 2025.

The city manager asked council to reserve a six‑hour block in mid‑May for a strategic‑planning kickoff; staff will send a memo with specific date options. Staff also said a public call to artists for the three painted water towers will be issued in late February with concept submissions expected in March and final selections in April, and that the city hopes to have the tower by the racetrack completed in time for the city celebration.

Ending City officials said they will continue to refine the Chrome Avenue phasing, pursue concurrent permitting and procurement where feasible, and press county partners to certify pump‑station work so pending applicants can resume. Several council members praised staff for advancing long‑delayed infrastructure items and asked for regular updates on the timelines and any procurement actions that could be started early to reduce schedule risk.