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Council approves $369,000 engineering contract to begin lead and galvanized water service-line replacements
Summary
The council approved a $369,000 Commonwealth contract to design and inspect a townwide program to replace lead and galvanized water service lines, funded by an SRF grant; staff said 88 services have been identified as eligible and residents will be contacted to participate.
The Florida Town Council voted Oct. 6 to contract with Commonwealth for engineering, bidding and construction inspection services to begin replacing lead and galvanized water service lines under a state SRF grant and in response to EPA lead-rule updates.
A staff presenter said the town has received grant funds (staff referenced roughly $1.8 million available to the town) and previously identified 88 service connections that are eligible for replacement on either the public or private side of the service line. The presenter said the state grant is intended to cover private-side replacements so residents should not see out-of-pocket costs if they participate, but the presenter noted the state funding window is limited and that outreach will proceed promptly to contact affected property owners. If a homeowner refuses to participate, the town will log that refusal and is required to send annual notices until the line is replaced; the town will also maintain a publicly accessible database listing properties with known lead or galvanized service lines.
Council members moved and approved a $369,000 contract with Commonwealth to handle design and construction-phase engineering and inspection tasks. The presenter described this as the next step after prior investigation work and said additional grant applications could be pursued if the town later identifies more replacements than current funds cover.
During the discussion council members asked whether the grant covers private-side work (answer: yes, per staff) and whether further funding rounds are available (staff said the state funds run out after the next year and additional requests would be considered if needed). Staff also said the town previously spent grant money on inspection work and that yards disturbed during prior work would be restored as part of forthcoming construction activity.
Staff emphasized the need for timely participation: the state’s program funding is limited and the town will contact eligible residents to enroll them in the replacement program. The council approved the contract by voice vote; no roll-call tally was read into the record.
