VIDEO: Engineers refine Lift Station 87 design

Less than two months after gathering public input on design options for the new lift station slated for Luke Wood Park, the contractor in charge of the project has settled on a mission-style building for the wastewater facility.

McKim and Creed has chosen the Spanish-themed architecture reminiscent of historical Sarasota buildings for Lift Station 87, and will continue to refine the design as the projects goes through the city's review process. The firm held a community workshop in May, during which staff also presented a rendering for a building with art deco architecture.

“We appreciate residents participating in this process,” said Sarasota Utility Director Mitt Tidwell in a news release. “We know residents want to keep the project moving, and now that we have a design, we’ll start the City’s site planning review process.”

The firm had previously informed the City Commission that the facility would need to be built above ground in order to withstand a Category 3 storm surge.

“We decided the best option was a dominant feature — something that would draw attention to the park,” McKim and Creed Project Manager Robert Garland said in a previous interview with the Sarasota Observer. “Something the residents could be proud of and the city could be proud of."