At the Thursday Sept. 21 meeting of the Bayfront Advisory Commission, we heard from Bill Purcell and Jason Wilson , Public Works Transportation Program and Project Management for a Shore Drive CIP (Capital Improvement Project) updates. There will be public information meetings about the Pleasure House Road Phase I and II projects in mid November which will bring street and safety improvements to Pleasure House Road: sidewalks, curb, gutter and drainage improvements north and south of Shore Dr.

There was news about the temporary (!) sidewalk project which will include ADA compliant sidewalks and curb ramps (concrete). The ‘sidewalks’ will be on both sides of Shore Dr. and consist of asphalt in places and when crossing parking lots will consist of striping. The expected cost is $2.0 million. There is $1.4 million available which can fund the design and site acquisition. Design and preliminary work will take 6-12 months and construction might begin in July of 2024. Mr. Jason Wilson acknowledged that it might be 20 years until Phase IV is implemented so these ‘temporary sidewalks’ may be in place for a long time. Councilman Schulman pledged to work towards moving up the timeline for this project.

The Draft Engineering Plan for Shore Drive Phase IV (west of the Lesner Bridge in Ocean Park) is under review and will most likely be approved this month. Shore Drive Phase IV was defunded in last year’s budget and monies were diverted to Phase III. The original contract for Phase IV was signed in 2008 and has been delayed and funding diverted multiple times.

Questions about how actively the city is pursuing federal funding for Phase IV have come up at the last BAC meeting and again this month. Mr. Wilson reported that in the Public Works Dept the Project Support Group is the entity that actively pursues grants and that at least one was being applied for.

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Did you see the dumpsters on the beach? Question came up: are they for cleaning sea weed off the beach? Jill Dozci gives us an answer: “It’s not for seaweed. It’s for that accumulation of grass sticks, probably phragmites, which is an invasive non-native that clogs up waterways, creates a fire hazard when it’s dry, has no nutritional benefit for any native animals and rots when it piles up after storms. Additionally, it’s beneficial to remove it when it goes washing up on beach so it can’t continue to float off after storms and establish itself in other unwanted areas. It’s known for floating off and clogging storm drains as well, which we certainly don’t need happening around here. People unfamiliar with the plant probably think of it as “sea oats” or something that’s supposed to grow here. You often see it around the pond at Loch Haven Park and the city keeps removing it.” Thank you Jill! More info

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Read the latest from the BAC.

What is the BAC? The mission of the BAC is to review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding public and private projects and issues associated with the Bayfront area, and projects or issues associated with the Bayfront area that the City Council may refer to the Commission. In the past, the Commission has reviewed plans for apartments and retail buildings to monitor them for compliance with the Shore Drive Corridor Plan and the Shore Drive Corridor Design Guidelines. and provide recommendations to the City Council for approval or not.

Social Committee meets the last Monday of the month. Next meeting just ahead on September 25th at 6:00 pm at Taste. Making plans for Fall Fest, Holiday Party and ??? new ideas? Questions? communication @opcl.org. Join us!

Reminder from VB Public Works: Trash trucks need clearance between the cans on the street so that the arm of the truck can pick each can up. When the cans are too close, they can be damaged or knocked over which results in trash on the street and delays the drivers and trash collection for all.