Lake Clarke Shores approves up to $190,000 for Pine Tree Lane bridge inspection; residents press for road repairs

The Town of Lake Clarke Shores Town Council voted Aug. 13 to award Baxter & Woodman consulting engineers a contract not to exceed $190,000 for construction engineering and inspection services on the Pine Tree Lane bridge replacement project. Council members also agreed to forego a provision of the town purchasing policy so staff could piggyback on a West Palm Beach contract to accelerate hiring the inspector.

Town Manager Joe Rubello told the council that independent inspection is required for state bridge projects and that the town budgeted $200,000 for inspection next fiscal year. "We budgeted $200,000 in next year's budget," Rubello said, noting the firm’s bid came in at about $186,000 and change. The motion to award the contract and waive the purchasing-policy restriction passed by voice vote (4–0).

The vote came amid renewed resident pressure to prioritize road maintenance on Pine Tree Lane. Resident Timothy Daughtry described several failing sections and urged immediate patching and traffic controls near his home: "It's a big hole and it needs attention now," he said. Pamela Sharp, who said she has lived in town since the 1960s, told the council she cannot walk her dog along Pine Tree because it's "filthy" and asked when the road would be repaved.

Council members and staff discussed sequencing for resurfacing work so the town does not pave streets that will later be disrupted by sewer construction. Rubello said the bridge contractor’s preliminary timeline starts in October, with the bridal closed then and a projected reopening in June, and added that the county is studying a possible transportation surtax that could provide future funding for road maintenance and drainage projects.

The contract award and waiver were presented as a time-sensitive opportunity: staff said an existing West Palm Beach procurement would allow the town to secure inspection services without a separate competitive bid given the bridge project's schedule. Council members who supported the action cited the firm's qualifications and the time constraint tied to construction milestones.

Next steps: staff will finalize the contract and oversee the independent inspection during construction; council members said they will continue coordination on road-paving priorities as the bridge closure and sewer-project planning proceed.