Pompano Beach Planning and Zoning Board approves five-year Capital Improvement Plan, flags reuse hookups and airpark tower for follow-up

The Pompano Beach Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to approve and forward the city’s recommended five‑year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2026–2030 to the City Commission after a presentation by Karen Grant, budget analyst, and a round of technical questions from board members.

Grant told the board the plan is updated annually and “the recommended plan is to be submitted to the city commission 90 days before the beginning of the budget year,” and that formal adoption is expected in September. She summarized recommended funding levels and said certain line items were adjusted before the board presentation.

The recommended funding highlights presented to the board include $9,600,000 in general fund projects for fiscal year 2026 and $64,800,000 over the five‑year period; approximately $116,700,000 for utilities over five years with $4,100,000 budgeted in 2026; $1,600,000 for stormwater in 2026 and $5,600,000 over five years; and $100,000 for the Airpark in 2026 with a total Airpark allocation of $40,000,000 over five years, including $30,500,000 expected from the FAA and $5,300,000 from FDOT. Grant also said about $95,700,000 of projects are funded through bond proceeds drawn from planned Series 2026 and Series 2028 issuances.

Board members pressed staff for details on several specific programs and projects. On reuse‑water hookups, Nathaniel Watson of the utilities group said the city has reserved funds for the program and that connections in some neighborhoods remain pending certification by Broward County. “We’re hoping to have it on by July,” Watson said when asked for a timeline about hookups in the Whisper Harbor area; he added that outreach to customers would follow county certification. Watson also said the city is budgeting for system expansion — “we do have this in our revenue bonds where we're budgeting, 15,000,000 for system expansion” — and that the reuse expansion has qualified for various county and state reimbursement grants to offset installation costs.

The board discussed an item that staff removed from the 2026 budget: a $169,000 reuse‑connection line (identified in the displayed materials as item 15) was shown with a zero balance for 2026. Staff also described changes in utility project line items, including a reduction of a redirection project on East Knab Road to $50,000 for design and $50,000 for construction remaining in the schedule.

On the Airpark, Airport Manager Steve Raffo said a tower siting study is complete and the design phase is planned for 2029, followed by construction when FAA funding is available. Raffo said the replacement tower will meet FAA requirements and will be ADA accessible, but that the airport will remain a Level 1 VFR (visual flight rules) tower and is not expected to change capacity or operating classification. “If we wanted additional tower hours, that would be a request that we would have to make to the FAA to see if they would fund that,” Raffo said.

Public Works Director Rob McCahon explained the city’s paving plan and how additional funds affect scheduling. He said the city has used a one‑million‑dollar‑per‑year paving allocation in recent years and that increasing annual paving funds to $2.5 million would allow the published five‑year plan to be completed sooner, through fiscal year 2028. McCahon noted that the paving plan and mapping are posted on the city website and that Broward County Traffic Engineering is responsible for pavement markings and most street sign functions across the county.

Board members asked about locations and timing for other projects in the CIP. Staff said a planned Fire Station 63 does not have a finalized location in the five‑year schedule and was pushed out of the immediate year; engineering staff said they would follow up with the board on the station’s chosen site. Questions about restroom and concession upgrades at McNair Park, sidewalks in the Tri‑Rail/Bridal Station area, and the Apollo Park/Ultimate Sports Park project were noted for follow‑up by staff.

On seawall work, staff said recently budgeted maintenance is small in linear feet per year but that the city designs replacements to expected future elevations and that staff would verify the design elevation—board members asked that the city confirm that replacements meet the 2050 elevation standard.

Board members also asked about “emerging contaminants.” Watson described PFAS as “forever chemicals” used in certain firefighting foams and other products and said the city operates a hybrid treatment system of lime softening and nanofiltration. He said the city is studying an expansion of the nanofiltration plant to reduce those contaminants and that the study and later construction are separate tasks. Regarding a figure mentioned in the discussion, staff described the funding for study and construction but did not provide a definitive confirmed construction budget during the board meeting.

After the presentation and questions, a member moved to approve the presented Capital Improvement Program for the next five years and to forward it to the City Commission; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll‑call vote of seven in favor, zero opposed. The board will transmit the recommended plan to the City Commission in accordance with the city code timeline for the July commission agenda, with formal adoption anticipated in September.

Votes at a glance: Motion to approve the presented Capital Improvement Program for fiscal years 2026–2030 and forward it to the City Commission — Approved, roll‑call 7–0.