Madeira Beach to cash in on $2M sewer system

Madeira Beach to cash in on $2M sewer system
Raise the glasses: Crystal Island residents celebrate full bridge opening

By WAYNE AYERS

MADEIRA BEACH – The Board of Commissioners has voted to sell its sanitary sewer system to Pinellas County for a little more than $2 million. The commission unanimously passed a resolution approving an interlocal agreement that established the terms of the sale at its Aug. 22 regular meeting.

As part of the arrangement, the county will spend nearly $3 million to upgrade the system and bring it up to code, Vice Mayor Art Thomas said. The improvements include laying 15 miles of new pipe, repairing force spans and replacing existing pump stations, he said. Replacement of more than 300 manhole covers is also part of the project, Thomas said.

The sewer system sale has been in the works for the past 10 months, said Steven Carroll, director of finance for Pinellas County Utilities. The county has been doing an assessment of the system and working with city staff on the terms of the sale, he said.

Carroll said that the sale of the city-owned system reflects a growing trend within Pinellas County. The county owns the sewer system in Belleair Beach, Belleair and North Redington Beach, and is in discussions with St. Pete Beach and Indian Rocks Beach to buy their facilities, Carroll said.

Thomas said that it was important for the city to sell the sewer system while it is still in good condition. He cited North Redington Beach as a community that allowed its sewer system to deteriorate to the point that it was practically worthless.

“They had to sell it for $10,” he said.

The sale represents a “real win situation for both the city and the county,” Thomas said. Madeira Beach gets $2 million for the system and another $3 million in improvements, while the county gains economies of scale that will help keep water rates low, Thomas said.

The city will get another nearly half million when the 132nd Avenue Lift Station is replaced, Thomas said. Developer Sam Lewis has agreed to do that as part of the Madeira Bay development, according to City Manager Jill Silverboard.

Commissioner Martha Boos said the city needs to put aside the money gained from the sale “and spend it on something exceedingly worthwhile for the community.”

The sale is subject to approval by the Pinellas County Commission and is scheduled to go before that body on Sept. 19.

Crystal Island Bridge opens

A celebratory mood accompanied the news that the Crystal Island Bridge was opened to two-way traffic on Aug. 22. The event was described as a “soft opening” by City Manager Silverboard, who said that a number of completion activities still need to be done over the next few weeks. She mentioned the laying of sod, landscaping and plant material placement as items yet to be accomplished.

Mayor Charles Parker questioned the road surface on the bridge.

“It looks half finished. There is nothing but hard concrete to drive over,” he said. Boos said she had heard complaints about the paving. “Someone called me and said ‘It looks horrible,’” she related.

Silverboard said that she was unsure as to whether the road surface was temporary or the final product. She said that asphalt cannot be laid on the bridge surface.

One resident who lives adjacent to the bridge asked that fishing not be permitted on the structure. Rob Earls of Crystal Island Drive said that fish cleaning would destroy the “gorgeous” paint job. The commission promised to address the fishing issue at a future workshop meeting.

Still, the commissioners and audience members appeared highly pleased with Silverboard’s announcement that “the stop lights are gone from the road.”

“It’s nice to have a bridge, even if it cost $1.7 million,” Parker added.