IDA selects facility contractor

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Supervisors on the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority Board have selected a contractor to build the agency’s new maintenance facility.

Supervisors voted Jan. 17 to hire Magnum Builders of Sarasota for a bid amount of $1.99 million. Magnum came out as the third-lowest bidder, but Atkins North America Inc., who oversaw the bidding process, deemed Magnum its top choice, after finding Magnum’s bid to be complete and responsive.

Apparent low bidder Halfacre Construction and second-lowest bidder Power Contracting were considered non-responsive, because their bid forms were not filled out as required in bidding instructions.

The IDA’s meeting was continued to Jan. 31, so the contract with Magnum could be approved prior to the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting.

Atkins representative Norman Robertson said a discrepancy regarding a heater on maintenance facility design documents — a cost differential of about $100,000 — caused some confusion for bidders. Contractors were instructed to bid the highest amount possible, should such a discrepancy occur. Some bidders did not follow that directive; others left out information, such as financial statements, which bid documents requested.

Overall, bids were close in terms of cost, once equal comparisons were made for discrepancies. All contractors were “more than capable” of completing the work, Robertson said.

Magnum Builders President Mike Baltzer said he was pleased to be selected for the maintenance facility project, which is similar in size and scope to another maintenance facility project Magnum completed.

“We’re very excited about this project,” Baltzer said. “We’re a competitive public builder. It’s a good-sized project for Magnum. We’re a company that does a lot of public work.”

Facilities completed by Magnum include Fire Station 3, in Sarasota County, and Caspersen Beach Park, in Venice.

A groundbreaking for the IDA’s maintenance facility, to be located on five acres off 59th Avenue East, near Risen Savior Lutheran Church, has tentatively been slated for February, although no specific date has been announced.

Once complete, the 6,675-square-foot facility will house the IDA’s operations department, which currently operates out of trailers on property owned by the Pinnacle Academy, off Lorraine Road and south of State Road 70.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

+ CDD 5 to allow limited gate access
After months of debate, the controversy about transponder access at the Players Drive Gate has been resolved.

Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 5 supervisors voted 3-2 to allow access to the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club through the Players gate. Up to 100 platinum-level members of the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club who live in Country Club East will receive transponders.

Transponders will be issued only to private, personal vehicles and may not be used for golf carts. Lakewood Ranch Town Hall will control the number of transponders being activated.

“In the sense of the overall community and the fact some district residents wanted to permit access, (I made this motion),” Supervisor Alan Silverglat said. “We’ve taken substantive actions to address the safety concerns (residents expressed at previous meetings).”

Just prior to the transponder-access vote, supervisors unanimously agreed to take action to improve safety at the gate, a main concern for residents of the Presidio, Riviera and Mizner Reserve neighborhoods who objected to allowing more vehicles through the Players Drive gate.

Traffic improvements approved include: adding a stop sign eastbound at the corner of Players Drive and Riviera Cove, making it a three-way stop and providing for improved traffic calming ($1,500); removing and redesigning landscaping in the two center medians on Players Drive, inside the gate, to improve line of sight at the intersection ($4,752.50); and installing four barrier arms and gate operators at the Players Gate ($14,810).

Silverglat also noted transponder access under the new policy will not be allowed until landscaping improvements associated with the gate, as approved by the board, are completed and reimbursed by Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

Other Business:
CDD1: 
• Supervisors learned they would hear details of a landscape master plan at their February meeting. 

• Budget workshops have been set for 7 p.m. Feb. 25, March 18, April 22 and May 20, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

CDD 2 & 5:
• Supervisors in CDD 2 voted unanimously to renew their contract with U.S. Security Associates for guards at the Legacy and Edgewater gatehouses. The contract officially renews Feb. 16. Both the current scope of work and hourly rate will remain the same.

• Budget workshops for CDD 2 have been set for 3 p.m. Feb. 28, March 28, April 25 and May 23, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. Workshops for District 5 have been set for 10:30 a.m. Feb. 27, March 28, April 25 and May 23, at Town Hall.

CDD 4:
• Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize a work assignment for Atkins North America to investigate erosion that is occurring along the bank of the Braden River, adjacent to the trail system near the Vistas neighborhood.

Supervisors authorized expenditures of up to $20,000 for work, which includes a survey and historic record review of erosion, researching and evaluating options for riverbank stabilization, soliciting and evaluation quotes for work and overseeing construction of the project, among other tasks.

The goal of the project is to protect the existing trail system near the riverbank and prevent the erosion from impacting any nearby lakes, Town Hall Director of Operations Ryan Heise said.

“Erosion is a very normal thing, but due to the proximity of the trail system, it requires attention,” Heise said.

• Budget workshops have been set for 7 p.m. Feb. 26, March 28, April 23 and May 21, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

CDD 6:
• Supervisors indicated they would discuss at their February board agenda review meeting making the gate at Balmoral Woods and Lakewood Ranch boulevards transponder-access only.

• Budget workshops have been set for 10 a.m. Feb. 27, April 3, April 24 and May 22, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

Inter-District Authority
• Supervisors approved the purchase of a 2013 Chevy Traverse ($24,218) for the IDA’s maintenance fleet.

• Town Hall Executive Director Eva Rey honored Financial Director Steve Zielinski for completing five years of service.

• Budget workshops were scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 26, March 26, April 23 and May 7, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.