Tunneling, Hurricane Resistance Critical in LS87 Plans

Todays News

The new engineering firm in charge of a controversial sewage project in Sarasota hopes soon to finalize plans and a timeline for construction, and hopefully bring to a close a costly and disruptive city endeavor. Robert Garland, vice president of McKim and Creed, said the firm will bring a proposal in front of Sarasota City Commissioners in early June regarding construction of Lift Station 87. “The design has been completed,” he said. “What we have to walk the city through now is, what’s the best way to phase this that has the least impact on the schedule, but more importantly, how will we minimize the risk to the city?”

The project involves demolition of Lift Station 7, a station at Pomelo Place. That location was the site of a massive spill in 2005, when an estimated 500,000 gallons of raw sewage was dumped into Hudson Bayou. The incident brought to light other spills that had occurred as well, and the matter heavily played into the departure of the city manager at the time. City leaders ultimately decided to relocate the facility to Lift Station 87 at Luke Wood Park, across Hudson Bayou, but engineering challenges have delayed that project. The city parted ways with one contractor and is now working with McKim and Creed. City officials last summer adjusted cost estimates for the project north of $25 million, though right now, Garland said he does not want to offer an estimated final cost until plans are finalized with the city.

The firm did offer a projected timeline for residents in March with three phases: a micro-tunneling phase would take 12-15 months; construction of Lift Station 87 would take 30-36 months; and demolition of Lift Station 7 would take 12 to 15 months. Garland is confident the tunneling, which led to the schism between the city and the former contractors, can be done according to geotechnical investigation, as long as steel carrier pipes buried deep in the bayou are used; former plans involved clay piping. Plans also now call for an above ground Lift Station 87, which Garland said was important to ensure the station remained operational even in a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. He noted this station handles sewage from important facilities including Sarasota Memorial Hospital. “It is critical that after a hurricane, we can get utilities back online so residences and hospitals can function again as soon as possible,” he said.

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