Lift station hits new heights

Plans for Lift Station 87 have deviated far enough from the original vision of an underground facility that engineers are seeking permission from the city to build higher than the zoning code currently allows.

On Monday, the city will hold a workshop regarding an application for a waiver to the current height limitations. The proposed 7,444-square-foot structure is now 45 feet tall, 10 feet taller than the 35-foot maximum allowed at the site.

The continual changes to the lift station design have been a source of consternation for adjacent residents, who were originally assured the wastewater storage facility would not be an imposition on their neighborhood.

The city selected Luke Wood Park, located at the convergence of U.S. 41 and U.S. 301, as the site for the lift station in 2008. Initial plans called for a lift station that was entirely below the ground. The project stalled as the engineering firm in charge proved unable to complete the proposed work.

The city replaced that firm with McKim & Creed in 2013. The new engineers made several changes to the project after taking over, most notably proposing an aboveground building so that it could withstand a Category 3 storm surge.

Although the most recent design update is a deviation from the initial renderings of the aboveground structure, it may not receive the same disdain as other changes to the project. Robert Garland, the project manager with McKim & Creed, said the height increase was necessary to ensure the machinery within the lift station would be protected in a worst-case scenario and accessible for maintenance.

As it has worked on the proposal for an aboveground building, McKim & Creed has focused on keeping nearby residents involved in the process, Garland said.

“We have had workshops and public meetings to get continuing feedback on what this building should look like,” Garland said. “What we ended up with was based on their feedback, and we’ll continue to work with the residents.”

The current design of the building, which is still not yet finalized, is modeled heavily after the Hover Arcade building, which served as Sarasota’s city hall in the early 1900s.

David Coe, a resident at the nearby Central Park II condominiums, agreed McKim & Creed has worked to engage with those living in the area around the lift station. He said the current design has come a long way from the original proposal, and said the engineers took the time to explain the necessity of the structure’s height.

Coe said the residents will continue to keep a watchful eye on the progress of the lift station project; his next concern, he said, is the landscaping surrounding the building. As far as the height of the structure, Coe said he believes the big picture is more important.

“It’s the overall look of the thing that we’re more concerned about,” Coe said. “I think we just have to accept the height increase.”

Fenced In
With the lift station still more than a year from completion, many residents at the nearby Central Park condominiums have sought to keep the site from becoming an eyesore in the interim.

One measure designed to alleviate any disruption related to the site, in its own right, become a problem.
Earlier this summer, at the behest of residents, the city began putting up new screening in Luke Wood Park around the area where much of the lift station has already been constructed underground. The new screening was intended as a more aesthetically pleasing alternative to the green mesh covering the chain-link fence at the site.

Although the residents ultimately got their way, some are less than pleased with the current status of the new screening. Donna Gannon Coe, a resident of Central Park II, criticized the caliber of the work earlier this month in an email to city Project Manager Steve Topovski.

“I was very disappointed and frustrated to see the ‘finished’ work,” Gannon Coe wrote in the email. “Certainly, I thought, at first, ‘It can’t be complete yet.’”

Gannon Coe critiqued the quality of the installation and said the screening looked like a careless measure designed to appease the residents. Furthermore, the screening only wrapped around the portion of the site visible on U.S. 41 or U.S. 301 — leaving the green mesh exposed to the vantage point of Central Park II.

Gannon Coe’s husband, David Coe, said city staff agreed to address the issues at the last Lift Station 87 project meeting but that the problems appeared to still be in place. Coe said residents have received reassurances that various areas of concern would be addressed at several junctures of the project, only to have the issues linger.

“The problem is, of course, we have a large number of snowbirds who are not here, so we have to struggle on alone out here,” Coe said.

Topovski said the city ordered additional screening once workers realized there was a shortage. He said the supplier is yet to provide a confirmation date for delivering the material.

Growth Chart
Track the evolution of plans for the Lift Station 87 project, which has morphed from an underground structure into a 45-foot-tall building.

2008-April 2014
The Lift Station 87 project is conceived as an underground structure in Luke Wood Park. Even after new engineering firm McKim & Creed was brought on in August 2013, plans still call for a submerged lift station.

In April, McKim & Creed says some of the lift station must be elevated to withstand a Category 2 storm. The firm plans to raise the ground elevation so the structure is still concealed.

May 5
The City Commission directs McKim & Creed to build a Lift Station capable of withstanding a Category 3 storm. Initial conceptual renderings show a 34-foot-tall building with a footprint of 6,000 square feet. Commissioners favor a distinctive, high-profile design.

May 29
Staff holds a community workshop to get feedback on potential designs. Two options are presented: an art deco-style building, and a Mission-style building (left), both of which are linked to historical structures in the city. The public indicated a preference for the Mission-style architecture.

July 14
Architects provide a more refined rendering of the building (center) after incorporating feedback from the public. The structure is modeled after the historic Hover Arcade building.

Aug. 11
Project leaders present a further refined rendering (right), modeled more closely after the Hover Arcade. The proposed building height is now 45 feet, 10 feet taller than what is allowed under the current zoning code.

Sept. 8
The Lift Station 87 project team will hold a community workshop, as the group seeks a waiver from the city for the height of the proposed building. The 45-foot height maximum does not account for the belfries included in the design.