Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Lift Stations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Riviera Beach board approves $1.3M lift‑station rehabilitation contract; residents press for repairs at Lift Station 87
Summary
The Riviera Beach Utility Special District board unanimously approved a contract to piggyback Palm Beach County pricing for rehabilitation of eight lift stations—authorizing up to $1.3 million from project 23030—and heard public complaints about a frequently open Lift Station 87 and continued debate over water‑plant operations.
The Riviera Beach Utility Special District board on Wednesday approved a contract with Hinterland Group Inc. to piggyback Palm Beach County’s competitively bid lift‑station rehabilitation contract and authorized up to $1.3 million in work authorizations from project 23030 for repairs and upgrades to eight lift stations.
John Armstrong, utility district engineer, told the board the piggyback would allow the district to use Palm Beach County’s preferred pricing for dozens of bid items related to lift‑station rehabilitation. Armstrong identified Lift Station 47 (a master station on Haverhill Road) and Lift Station 18 on Singer Island, near the Lake Worth Lagoon, among the initial priorities and said the work follows a priority list prepared by EAC consultants. Funding is available in the district’s capital improvements plan under project 23030, staff said.
The contract authorizes the city manager or the utility executive director to approve individual work authorizations up to the $1.3 million total; the board passed the resolution by unanimous roll call.
Residents pressed the board to address a separate, longstanding operational problem at a local pump station. Mary Brown, a Riviera Beach resident who spoke during public comment, urged immediate attention to a station she identified as Lift Station 87: “Lift Station 87 ... it stays open all the time,” Brown said, describing recurring overflows and trash near the station on MLK A Street and asking whether that specific station was included in the rehabilitation list.
Staff and the engineer said they would follow up to identify whether Lift Station 87 is on the prioritized list and to provide geographic details to residents. One member of the public asked about a separate budget line of roughly $263,580 that had been referenced on the consent agenda; staff said that amount is included in the capital improvements plan for utilities.
The meeting also featured broader debate about the district’s water‑plant operations. Board Member Dr. Glenn Spertus said the city should consider engaging an experienced operator or consultant to run the water plant “until we get it to the level that we need it to be,” citing prior compliance problems and training shortfalls. Michael Miller of US Water Services, a consultant working with the district, told the board the consultant has been involved in hiring recommendations and training but said current staff are not yet at the level needed to fully operate the plant without continued consultant support.
The board approved the lift‑station rehabilitation contract unanimously; roll call votes recorded yes from Bruce Guyton, Kashem Vanila Anderson, Dr. Glenn Spertus and Chairperson Shirley Lanier.
