Lakewood Ranch Town Hall delays repairs to Legacy gate

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Repairs to the Legacy Boulevard gatehouse for the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club will occur after Easter — a strategy change meant to limit traffic delays.

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall staff members believe that, although they have a permit from Manatee County to complete the project, waiting until after Easter, April 20, will create a more efficient repair process.

“We understand the importance of getting this moving, but our contractor for the project (Prism Contractors Inc.) said it would have its resources spread out if we did the repairs sooner because it has a few other jobs lined up during that time,” said Ryan Heise, Town Hall’s operations director. “We thought it made the most sense to wait until after the peak traffic that will occur before and during Easter.”

Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts 2 and 5 are paying about $31,000 for repairs, which are required because structural deficiencies at the gatehouse have led to water damage and rotting that could affect the building’s stability over time.

Once repairs begin, construction will take about four weeks.

Generally, repairs will involve replacing two sets of supporting beams at the gatehouse, as well as installing new wall framing and roof material on the second floor.

A decorative railing on the outside of the gatehouse also will be replaced. 

About two months ago, staff added additional shoring — wooden panels connected to the second-floor overhang — for structural support until repairs are made.

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall has devised a traffic plan for the repair process, which it will email to country club residents.

During the majority of construction, the resident inbound lane at the Legacy Boulevard gatehouse will remain open.

The first of two complete inbound closures will be for demolition. The closure will last about a week.

The second complete closure will occur when the contractor finishes exterior work. It will last about three days.

Signage will be placed within the country club and along University Parkway and noticed on Town Hall’s website, lakewoodranchgov.org/IDA-ops.php. 

During the repair process, Heise recommends drivers use alternative entrances into the country club, such as transponder-only access points at The Masters Avenue and Players Drive and the gatehouse at Balmoral Woods and Lakewood Ranch boulevards. 

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].