Palm Bay council approves $2.8M (recommended) Port Malabar force main replacement from renewal fund
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Summary
Council approved replacing a high-risk asbestos-cement force main on Port Malabar after staff said partial repairs risked further fractures; the project will be paid from the utilities renewal/replacement fund and the council vote was 5-0.
Gabriel Bowden, representing the utilities department, told the council the Port Malabar force main is high on the department’s risk registry and that a large portion of the pipe is asbestos-cement (AC). Bowden said staff prefer replacing the entire problematic section to lower the long-term failure risk rather than performing a partial repair.
A member of the public, Bill Batten, questioned why the work was focused on Port Malabar when other parts of the city still lack sewer service; Batten cited past grant work that aided Port Malabar neighborhoods and said many other neighborhoods remain unserved and face septic-to-sewer conversion costs for homeowners. Bowden and staff replied that this project is funded from the utilities renewal/replacement fund and that money in that account may not be used to install new mains where none exist.
Battten cited earlier budgeted amount of $1,250,000 versus a staff recommendation of $2,800,000 (a difference he described as $1,600,000); staff explained replacing the entire section drove the higher recommendation to avoid repeated future repairs. Councilmember Hammer confirmed the funding source is a renewal fund and not an expansion fund.
Councilman Johnson moved and Deputy Mayor Jaffe seconded a motion to approve the project as presented; the motion passed 5-0.
Staff said the replacement will reduce the probability of future failures and help mitigate risk of spills; schedule, contractor selection and final cost estimates will be provided as the project proceeds.
