Floating docks will be built this winter at Keegan Clair Park. The park is also getting a facelift with the work to be finished by the spring.
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH – There was an audible sigh of relief Dec. 13 as Indian Rocks Beach City Manager Chuck Coward told city commissioners that the long journey to having the city’s new floating docks built at Keegan Clair Park was just about over.
“It is with great pleasure that I am able to tell you we have a recommendation for the contract. We’ve been through the design phase of this project, two separate permitting phases, the grant applications and now the contract,” Coward said.
With that, Coward told the commissioners that Enterprise Marine Contractors of St. Petersburg had the low bid of $186,270 and he recommended that they be awarded the contract. The commissioners unanimously agreed and Enterprise Marine will be given the green light to begin work, likely in early January.
The docks are part of a major overhaul of the Keegan Clair Park area. Once they are built then the park itself will get an overhaul and that includes some shore stabilization along that portion of the Intracoastal Waterway. There also will be an improvement to the area where canoeists and kayakers launch their craft in the park. The docks will be finished by late February but won’t be accessible because of the other work. Coward said it should all be finished sometime in the spring.
Good financial shape
Finance Director Sandy Sanders told the commissioners the financial affairs of the city were in good shape. In fact he said the auditors, who had set aside two weeks to audit the city’s books, needed only a week to do so. He said the city’s cost control measures and good forecasts on revenues have managed to keep the city within budget.
“The city is in excellent financial shape,” he said.
Contracts awarded
The city is going to spend nearly $57,000 with the LMK Pipe Renewal Company to inspect, clean and repair gravity sewer lines in the city. There are 13 miles of gravity sewer trunk lines in the city that are over 30 years old and have to be checked and repaired regularly.
The city is also going to spend nearly $17,000 with J.T.V. Inc. for stormwater drainage and cleaning. The process will include looking at the entire underground structure with an eye to improving the efficiency of the system.
New truck to be purchased
The Commissioners gave city staff the go-ahead to purchase a new pickup truck. The 2012 Ford F-150 4 by 4 will be purchased at a cost of $19,613 and will be used primarily to pick up trash and recyclables on the beach. The current vehicle, a 1997 Ford has apparently reached the end of its life as a city vehicle. It will be sold and is expected to bring in about $4,000.
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