Council approves airport design grant, sidewalk and swale contracts and online memorial program

The City of Sebastian City Council on Feb. 12 unanimously approved a set of contracts and grants to advance airport, street and parks projects, and authorized a city-run online memorial platform.

Council members voted to accept a Florida Department of Transportation grant to pay for engineering and design of a terminal-apron expansion at Sebastian Municipal Airport, approve a purchase order for sidewalk and curb replacement on North Central Avenue, authorize a purchase order for swale and sod work tied to the phase 3 repaving program, and approve a city-hosted online memorial platform called “See My Legacy.” The council also moved Laura Thompson from an advertised alternate slot into a vacant regular seat on the Natural Resources Board after waiving the advertising requirement for that vacancy.

The airport item was presented by city staff as a design-phase grant. “This, we’re asking you to consider the acceptance of this grant that is provided by the Florida Department of Transportation concerning the design and engineering to expand the possible parking spaces at the terminal apron,” staff member Sabo said, noting the airport’s terminal apron currently holds six aircraft and that the design work would allow doubling capacity to about 12 aircraft. Staff told the council that the Federal Aviation Administration had agreed to cover most of the remaining project cost, reducing the city’s share to $5,750 for the grant under consideration. The council voted in favor.

For roadway work, staff described a planned replacement of about 5,390 square feet of sidewalk on the east side of North Central Avenue and replacement of heavily cracked curb. That work is to be paid from remaining DST funds from a recently completed DaVita Dialysis sidewalk project; the council approved a purchase order to Palm Bay Concrete And Materials not to exceed $93,154.64.

The council also authorized a purchase order with Conlon Landscaping not to exceed $868,440 to complete swale and sod work aligned with the city’s phase 3 repaving schedule. Staff said the number represents a “worst case” estimate and that they will assess and reduce the scope where possible. Council discussion emphasized that, after the city repairs swales, homeowners will be responsible for routine maintenance to preserve drainage function.

Parks and Recreation Director Richard Blankenship presented a new online memorial and donor platform the city calls See My Legacy. Blankenship described features that let donors buy benches or bricks and attach an extended story accessible via QR code. He told the council the platform will be hosted on the city website and that the annual hosting/maintenance fee is $1,600 per year; the council approved moving forward.

The council also appointed Laura Thompson to the Natural Resources Board’s regular member position after a motion to waive the advertising requirement and move Thompson into the seat passed by unanimous vote.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution R-25-04 (FDOT grant acceptance for terminal-apron engineering/design): motion to accept made by Council member (mover not specified in transcript), second not specified; recorded roll call: Council member Dodd — yes; Council member Nunn — yes; Mayor Bob McPartland — yes; Vice Mayor Jones — yes. Outcome: approved. City share stated by staff: $5,750; FAA expected to cover remainder (staff said FAA funding decision expected by April). Notes: staff will not proceed to bids or contracts until FAA funding confirmation is received.

- Purchase order — Palm Bay Concrete And Materials, not to exceed $93,154.64 (North Central Ave curb and east-side sidewalk replacement, ~5,390 sq ft). Motion: Council member (mover) — moved; second — provided. Recorded roll call: Council member Dye — yes; Council member Nunn — yes; Mayor McPartland — yes; Vice Mayor Jones — yes. Outcome: approved. Funding: DST funds reallocated from the completed DaVita Dialysis sidewalk project (project came in $114,319 under budget; $93,154.64 requested here).

- Purchase order — Conlon Landscaping, not to exceed $868,440 (swale work and sod within phase 3 repaving). Motion moved and seconded; recorded roll call: Council member Nunn — yes; Mayor McPartland — yes; Vice Mayor Jones — yes; Council member Dodd — yes. Outcome: approved. Staff note: figure is a worst-case estimate; work will be scoped down where feasible. Council emphasized ongoing homeowner maintenance responsibility after city repairs.

- See My Legacy (online memorial platform): Presentation by Parks & Recreation Director Richard Blankenship. Motion to approve launch and annual fee accepted. Recorded roll call: Mayor McPartland — yes; Vice Mayor Jones — yes; Council member Dodd — yes; Council member Nunn — yes. Outcome: approved. Annual platform fee: $1,600 per year. Implementation note: city staff will add memorial purchases to the platform going forward; bricks purchased before Jan. 1 will not be migrated automatically.

- Appointment — Natural Resources Board (regular member): Motion to waive advertising and place Laura Thompson in the regular seat; seconded and approved. Outcome: Thompson appointed. Recorded statement: “Congratulations, Miss Thompson. Welcome to the board.”

Why this matters

The approvals collectively fund near-term public-works pavement and drainage work and move forward an airport capacity project with a reduced local share because of FAA participation. The swale repair program and sidewalk work are tied to long-running repaving plans; council members stressed that homeowners will be responsible for maintaining repaired swales to ensure longevity of the paving investment. The new memorial platform centralizes donations and donor-provided text and photo assets and adds a QR-enabled story card feature for donors.

What’s next

Staff said it will not proceed to contracts for the airport expansion until FAA grant confirmation is received. Work scheduling and resident notices for sidewalks and swale repairs will follow standard public-notice procedures. The Natural Resources Board member will assume the regular-member duties immediately, per the council action.