Oldsmar staff present $53.2 million five‑year capital improvement plan, highlight WRF resiliency and St. Petersburg Drive

City staff presented Oldsmar’s proposed five‑year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to the City Council on May 12, laying out $16.5 million in projects for FY2027 and roughly $53.2 million in funded projects across FY2027–FY2031. The presentation emphasized water and sewer system upgrades, street and drainage work, parks improvements and resilience upgrades at the city’s water reclamation facility.

City Manager Donnelly described the CIP as "a five‑year financial and strategic planning document" that serves as a roadmap for the city’s planned investments and a tool to support community engagement and sound financial choices. Staff said the proposed funded program does not require new city debt and includes an appendix of unfunded projects to position those needs for future grants.

Public works highlights include the St. Petersburg Drive complete‑streets and roundabout project, which staff said is in final FDOT review with federal grants attached and is expected to go to advertisement in June, letting in August and construction this fall. The CRA‑area mobility improvements — sidewalks, ADA upgrades and drainage — were presented as contingent on St. Petersburg Drive outcomes and available CRA proceeds; staff noted the CRA sunsets in September 2026.

In utilities, the city is replacing a 50‑plus‑year‑old WRF control building. Janna Jan, director of public utilities, said the project was bid at $6.93 million and that the city received a $2.15 million Resilient Florida grant toward construction, which is expected to be completed by year‑end. Jan also outlined a filter‑for‑capacity project estimated at $1.2 million; she said the city applied for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding with a 75%/25% federal‑to‑local match and that the project currently ranks 25th of 44 projects regionally under FEMA’s ranking process.

Jan further described the meter‑replacement program — converting manual and touch‑read meters to radio‑read units to improve billing accuracy and leak detection. Staff reported about $2 million in materials and $740,000 in labor for the work already done and said roughly 65% of the city’s meters have been converted so far; the final construction phase is proposed for FY2028 at about $3 million.

The water reclamation facility (WRF) was a focal point in council discussion. Staff proposed resiliency improvements estimated at $1.8 million for FY2027, including raising electrical panels, converting certain pumps to submersible units, upgrading backup power and replacing corrosive metal tanks; staff said $1 million of that work would be covered by a state grant. Design for an additional clarifier and tank expansion was presented as a longer‑lead project (total estimated at $4.5 million with construction moved to FY2029).

The fire department presented targeted upgrades including a diesel‑exhaust removal system ($50,000 in FY2027), a multi‑year portable radio replacement ($200,000 total) and station hardening (window and overhead‑door replacements). Parks and recreation requests included field drainage work at the Oldsmar Sports Complex, playground replacement at Bicentennial Park and shade structures for bleachers.

Staff summarized active grants of about $7.9 million under management and a list of pending federal and state grant requests (including Army Corps and state appropriations for several large projects). They also presented a long list of unfunded projects — from reclaimed‑water tanks to septic‑to‑sewer work and stormwater master‑plan priorities — noting those lists improve the city’s competitiveness for future grants. Staff said the CIP’s five‑year funded total is approximately $53.2 million, with about $21 million expected from enterprise (water/sewer/stormwater) revenues, roughly $4 million from grants, and the remainder from local taxes, CRA/TIF proceeds and the county ‘Penny’ sales tax share.

Council members praised staff’s cross‑departmental work and emphasized infrastructure and resilience as priorities; no formal vote on the CIP was recorded at the meeting. The council will consider the CIP figures as part of the upcoming operating‑budget process and staff noted individual projects will return for council approval as contract awards or grant acceptances move forward.