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Deputy city manager outlines $40 million in capital projects; updates on harbor demolition and paid-parking litigation
Summary
The deputy city manager presented the city’s capital-project tracking (about $40 million), flagged several projects that may be delayed — including Brett’s demolition pending Army Corps review and Lift Station 18 rehab — and said a court challenge over paid parking will be resolved in coming weeks.
The deputy city manager told the council the city is tracking roughly $40,000,000 in capital projects this fiscal year and reviewed several projects that affect the island’s waterfront, utilities and parks.
"We happen to have about 60 capital projects that are right now in the queue…we got $40,000,000 worth of trackable projects that we're keeping tabs on," the deputy city manager said during a presentation of the project-tracking sheet. He described project status using a red-yellow-green system: green for on track, yellow for at risk or paused and red for suspended.
Highlights included: - Vehicle and equipment rotation (project 37): about $3.1 million for fleet and heavy-equipment purchases, with roughly 90% of that equipment already ordered. The deputy city manager said new rescue units, mowers and a street sweeper are arriving over the next year. - Harbor dredging (project 11): funded in part through FIND; officials may delay active dredging until construction at the marina wraps up. - Brett's demolition (project 9): marked yellow and held up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for regulatory review, because the work is seaward of the mean high water line. - Amelia Road wastewater extension (projects 47 and 48): sewer and water extensions to annexing areas are underway to provide municipal connections where residents are on septic or wells. - Lift Station 18 rehab/relocation (project 41): a complex rehabilitation that may be delayed a year given the construction and cost; the project addresses a high-flow, smelly lift station at Central Park. - Parks and recreation master plan (project 19): a multi-year update to guide use of ball fields, park space and programming.
The deputy city manager also updated the council on ongoing paid-parking matters. "We are currently under litigation... there’s been a suit against the City to stop paid parking and let it go to the voters to decide next year," he said, and noted the commission expected more information at its December 2 meeting.
On airport-related planning, he said expansion for commercial air service is unlikely given footprint constraints and proximity to Jacksonville International; however, runway resurfacing and new T-hangar construction are planned.
Council members asked clarifying questions about schedules and safety; staff noted that some projects are being deferred while heavier construction completes and that some permitting (notably Brett’s) is awaiting federal review.
The deputy city manager’s presentation closed with a reminder that civil projects often surge at the end of construction schedules when landscaping, lighting and finishing touches are installed. The council thanked staff and moved on to closing business.
