Lift station proposal receives mixed reception

As the proposed Lift Station 87 building continues to evolve, public frustration has been a constant for the oft-changing project.

The leaders behind the project held a community workshop Monday regarding the latest design. The workshop was necessary because the proposed design will need a waiver from the city to move forward; the midpoint of the roof is 45 feet high — 10 feet taller than the maximum height allowed in the code.

Accounting for the two belfries included in the most recent design, the highest point of the building is more than 64 feet tall.

Robert Garland, the project manager with engineering firm McKim & Creed, said the most recent design was arrived at after consultation with nearby residents and the city’s Urban Design Studio. The building, 7,444 square feet in total, is modeled after the historic Hover Arcade building, which served as city hall in the early 20th century.

The other contributing factor to the building’s size is practical in nature. Earlier this year, the city directed the engineers to build a lift station capable of withstanding a Category 3 storm surge. That was a significant departure from the earlier plans for the wastewater facility, which was originally conceived as an underground structure.

Garland said the taller structure and the pitched roof were necessary to protect essential equipment and allow for maintenance. He said the team experimented with shorter designs and a flat roof to bring down the height, but that the aesthetics of that building were less appealing.

Some residents near 1900 Mound St., the Lift Station 87 site, are OK with the proposed height as long as the project is completed and the design and surrounding landscaping are adequate. Others at Monday’s workshop were hesitant to embrace the building outlined, which would stand taller than the nearby condominium complexes and other structures in the area.

Victoria Guenther, who lives near Hudson Bayou, said she didn’t believe the height was essential to the form and function of the building. She was concerned about the impact the lift station would have on its surroundings if constructed as proposed.

“I believe a design can be created that would not appear so outsized and that would satisfy the physical requirements of the plant, as well as the aesthetic requirements of the city,” Guenther said.

Garland said he understood any frustration, but that he was trying to satisfy everybody while correcting earlier missteps associated with the project.

“I can’t take back that was promised five, six years ago,” Garland said. “We’re trying to do what’s best for the residents.”

The lift station site plan — and the zoning waiver request — will go before the city’s Development Review Committee, the Planning Board and the City Commission before it can be approved. If all goes well, Garland said the topic could go before the commission as soon as December.

With construction slated to begin in October, the lift station could once again end up behind schedule. After the meeting, Garland said he was prepared to move forward with the design to maintain the project timeline, but he admitted that they could need another extension to a state Department of Environmental Protection order to construct the lift station by April 2016.

“I’ve committed to get this project done,” Garland said. “Part of the comfort level is getting through today’s meeting. Once we get through this process, I’m ready to hit the road running and get back on the drawing board.”

The Lift Station 87 project is scheduled for completion in January 2016.