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Commission authorizes purchase of small parcel for Lift Station 16 relocation; neighbors ask for more outreach
Summary
The commission approved (4-1) the city's purchase of a 20-by-95-foot portion of 3900 W. 16th St. for $125,000 to relocate Lift Station (Pump Station) 16 as part of a grant-funded project to remove failing infrastructure from the bay. Neighbors urged more meetings and asked staff to continue exploring alternatives.
The Panama City Commission authorized the city manager to purchase a 20-by-95-foot portion of the property at 3900 West Sixteenth Street for $125,000 to allow relocation of Pump (Lift) Station 16, a move staff and the project's design engineer recommend to remove failing sewer infrastructure from the shoreline and reduce chronic overflows into Saint Andrews Bay. The vote was 4-1.
City staff and the project's engineer said they reviewed multiple candidate sites and concluded this parcel best meets topography, gravity main routing and long-term reliability requirements. The relocation is part of a larger package of work that staff said is funded partly by a $3,250,000 FDEP grant (LPA-0204) that includes land acquisition and construction; FEMA HMGP funding paid earlier engineering costs and will support construction.
Multiple neighbors asked the commission to delay approval and hold broader neighborhood meetings. Owner and resident Mary Bonham, who lives at 3900 W. 16th St., told the commission she and her neighbors do not want the lift station on their property but said they generally want the lift station removed from the bay and would consider selling a portion of their land if necessary. Bonham said the property "is not for sale" but said she and her family would sell a limited strip if relocation on that lot proves necessary; she asked for additional outreach and consideration of other sites.
Commissioners stressed there would be additional public outreach and at least one more formal step before construction. Staff said the design will be completed before a construction contract is awarded and that the neighborhood would be briefed again before work begins; the commission also asked staff to present alternatives and cost/maintenance tradeoffs when possible. The commission approved the purchase authorization and gave the city manager authority to complete closing under the standard real-estate contract terms discussed at the meeting.
