Crowd anticipated for undergrounding discussion tonight

The second reading and public hearing for a neighborhood and side street project to bury above ground power lines could be a long agenda item at tonight’s 7 p.m. Longboat Key Town Commission meeting at Town Hall.

Residents that both support and oppose the project are expected to pack the commission chamber to voice their opinion on the project.

Many owners of 149 boat slips at the Boat House, 408 Gulf of Mexico Drive, have also voiced their opposition in the last 10 days to being charged an assessment of $1,660.52 for a Gulf of Mexico Drive undergrounding project that voters approved in March.

Town staff and Willdan Financial Services reduced the boat slip assessment, which was originally $2,494.77, but many boat slip owners still don’t believe they should be charged as part of that project and could make their voices heard tonight.

For many north end communities and side streets, their total upfront cost for the proposed neighborhood and side-street project to bury power lines is $8,500.60. Financing costs over 30 years at the same interest rate, those residents would pay $527.36 annually, for a total cost of $15,820.80.

The Town Commission reached a 6-1 consensus at its December regular workshop and approved an ordinance on first reading to keep the power running to a neighborhood and side-street referendum for a project that has a cost estimate of $23.85 million.

The referendum will ask voters in the March 15 election if the town can issue bonds not to exceed $23.85 million to bury utility lines in neighborhoods and side streets.

Property owners with existing underground utilities would pay for 18.5% of the project’s cost; owners with above ground utilities would pay for 81.5%.

The Gulf of Mexico Drive project, combined with a pending neighborhood project, would also eliminate approximately 85 power poles that otherwise need to be added near Gulf of Mexico Drive to funnel power to neighborhoods with above-ground power lines.

Ballot language for the referendum is due to county supervisors of election by Jan. 8.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].