Consultant details $20 million Chapel Hill drainage plan; city urged to pursue grants and earmark funds

A consultant told the Boynton Beach City Commission on May 5 that the Chapel Hill drainage improvement project is about 60% designed and carries an engineer’s probable cost of roughly $20 million, and he urged the city to pursue stacked state and federal mitigation grants to avoid delaying construction.

David Cohen, the project consultant, said the team modeled basin conditions, identified stormwater quality needs tied to Lake Ida’s phosphorus impairment, and recommended siting the pump station at the end of Sunset Road to reduce more than 3,000 linear feet of force main and the size (and cost) of the pumps. He said the preliminary design includes exfiltration trenches, bioswales and a detention facility to remove nutrients and improve performance.

Cohen summarized funding and schedule: finalize design around August, complete permitting and final plans by November, prepare grant applications in March–August 2027, and (if grant awards and procurement align) begin construction in May 2028. He noted that the project ranked second of 136 projects on the county’s local mitigation strategies priority list, positioning Boynton for competitive funding.

Commissioners pressed staff on alternatives and the budget implications. City staff noted the size of the probable cost, discussed phasing options to spread construction over fiscal years and said grants are normally reimbursable: “We can’t complete the project and then go for a grant and get reimbursed — we have to apply in advance and use awarded funds for the specific project,” staff advised. Commissioners urged that the budget cycle include earmarked funds so the city can match grants or move ahead if funding is delayed.

Next steps: staff will continue design work, pursue identified grant opportunities, and return to the commission with phased CIP options and potential budget amendments for earlier paving or partial construction if needed.