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Lake Placid CRA to finalize downtown planting plan after month of follow-up work
Summary
Keep Lake Placid Beautiful presented an updated plant list and a schematic for downtown islands and beds. The Community Redevelopment Agency agreed to have the plans revised, go to bid and return with final drawings, budgets and advertised agenda material at the next CRA meeting.
Keep Lake Placid Community Redevelopment Agency members agreed to advance an updated downtown planting plan and take final bids after Keep Lake Placid Beautiful provided a revised plant list and map.
The plan covers new plantings, irrigation work and limited paver/planter zones along Interlake and Main Street. Bill Brantley, a volunteer with Keep Lake Placid Beautiful, said the group walked downtown with town staff and an engineer, produced a key and quantities for roughly a dozen plant types and recommended low-maintenance selections to reduce trimming and weeding. “We—re just looking for the approval of the plants and the styles and the types that we—re doing,” Brantley said during the meeting.
CRA members and staff said the next steps are to have the engineer tweak the drawings, solicit bids, and present final plans and a recommended budget at the next CRA meeting so the public and affected merchants can review them. Councilwoman Eberhardt said the CRA already has a $15,000 line item identified for plants and asked staff to test whether other line items—benches or sewer-related items—could be rescheduled to cover the projected shortfall.
Why it matters: The downtown planting and irrigation work are linked to a larger, multi-phase beautification push timed around upcoming events and regional publicity. Agency members said they want durable, low-maintenance landscaping that preserves sight lines at intersections and fits existing irrigation capacity.
Details and competing constraints
- Estimated costs: Keep Lake Placid Beautiful estimated a full implementation cost in the “$45,000 to $50,000 range” once bids and phases are combined; the CRA currently has $15,000 set aside for plants. Brantley said trustees from the sheriff—s department may provide labor for bed stripping and mulch haul-away, reducing one bid item. (Estimate and source reported on the record.) - Irrigation capacity: Harry (town staff) reported the town well tested around 80 gallons per minute at the wellhead; staff cautioned water-line breaks and losses could reduce delivered flow to planters. Town staff and TWQ consultant Alex advised a phased approach so the town can confirm actual delivered water volume before expanding plantings. - Public input and property concerns: Several merchants and residents requested that draft plans be circulated to downtown property owners before final approval. Resident Deborah Worley asked that a proposed large specimen tree in front of her property be changed; Brantley agreed to swap a proposed planting to a crape myrtle after the walk-through review. Margaret Dear urged that the town clarify who will handle ongoing maintenance and enforcement of bed upkeep once plantings are installed. - CRA process limits: Council member Hayes reminded the board that CRAs in Florida are governed by Chapter 163 and that changing projects or moving project funds requires public notice and an agenda item. Staff agreed to advertise the project reallocation and any proposed budget moves in the next meeting packet.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda (approval of the agenda and minutes): approved by voice/roll call (all members present); no dissent recorded on the transcript. (See provenance below.) - Motion to revise drawings, solicit bids, advertise a project-realignment agenda item and return to the CRA with final plans and budget at the next meeting: motion carried; recorded affirmative votes by attendees on the CRA roll call.
What happens next: Staff and Keep Lake Placid Beautiful will update the planting map with corrections noted during the walk-through, the town engineer (Dennis) will finalize drawings, bids will be solicited, and the CRA will receive a packet with final designs, bid results and recommended budget realignments for a properly noticed vote at the next CRA meeting.
Ending note: Agency and staff repeatedly stressed a phased approach so plantings are installed only after irrigation capacity is confirmed and required CRA public-notice steps are completed.
