Project Longboat: A town timeline

Town Manager Dave Bullock said a couple of weeks ago he’s “here to do stuff, and there’s a lot to do.”

He wasn’t kidding.

A project review update he presented during the Longboat Key Town Commission’s March 2 regular meeting lists 13 town projects with different timelines and completion dates that town staff is keeping close watch over. 

Here are the biggest projects, along with possible completion dates.

June 2015: 

North-end groins

Construction of two permeable-adjustable groins near the North Shore Road beach access to hold sand in that area will be completed, and the popular beach access will reopen.

September 2015: 

Longboat Pass dredging project

Dredging Longboat Pass to bring sand to the north and mid-Key portions of the island once the north-end groins are installed could begin if the project isn’t challenged. The project could be completed by March 2016.

December 2015: 

Town Center Overlay District planning

Planning and design work on the overlay district that will shape a future town center is scheduled for completion. Meanwhile, conceptual planning and design work is underway.

“We don’t know where town center is going but the next several months are the time where we make that decision,” Bullock said.

January 2016: 

Wastewater subaqueous pipeline

Construction on a new $20 million pipeline that funnels wastewater under Sarasota Bay to a Manatee County treatment facility could begin. Currently in the planning stages, designs for the pipeline will begin in April. The pipeline will take approximately one year to complete.

May 2016: 

Bayfront Park improvements

The town hopes to complete park improvements that have been under discussion for at least 14 years. After whittling down the project’s price, the town hopes to hire a contractor as early as April and start construction as soon as November. 

Summer 2016: 

New Pass dredging project

That’s the earliest date dredging can begin to bring long-awaited sand to a highly eroded south-end beach area at Islandside. The project will only stay on that track if the project’s permits aren’t challenged.

November 2016: 

Utility undergrounding

Construction for a project could begin if the project makes its way to voters and they approve it.

Planning and research began last year for a Gulf of Mexico Drive and a possible islandwide utilities undergrounding project. A $100,000 study is underway for its implementation. 

“This takes up a lot of planning time more than anything in the immediate future,” Bullock said.

End of 2016: 

Zoning code and Comprehensive Plan overhaul

The town could complete what every commissioner and commission candidate this year called the town’s most pressing issue — updates to town codes and its comprehensive plan. Planning for these changes have been in the works since last year.

End of 2016:

New computer system

The town will implement a new computer and software system that handles everything from payroll to utility billing and replaces the current outdated technology. Planning for the new system begins in April, and implementation begins in October.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].