Critical Longboat Key utility survey underway

Hurricane Matthew kept up a steady drizzle Friday as surveyor crew chief Mike Wheeler, of Bradenton-based Hyatt Survey Geographic Data Specialists, peered through his gear at the intersection of Cutter Drive and Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

His job: Locate and map every piece of infrastructure within 50 feet of either side of GMD in preparation for a project that will assess overall project costs.

“Basically, it’s a doctored-up puzzle that would match with footage from Google Earth — except Google Earth can’t see through trees,” Wheeler said.

The question the consultants seek to answer: How much will property owners have to pay as part of the town project to bury utilities?

The work is exacting. Wheeler said he “can fly over” surveys of open areas such as golf courses, but stretches of land occupied by utilities, street signs and sewers are more complicated.

Actual costs for placing utilities underground in neighborhoods and side streets will not be available until the survey is complete, hopefully in April, and the town obtains a binding cost estimate from Florida Power & Light sometime in early 2018, Town Manager Dave Bullock said.

It’s easy to spot survey trucks and workers from Hyatt Survey and St. Petersburg-based George F. Young Inc.  All surveyors have a handout with company logos and contact information to give to any concerned citizens wondering if they belong on the property.

Crews are locating and recording all public and private rights of way and infrastructure easements and other critical  information as the town prepares to place all utilities underground.

Surveying is usually low key, but it’s higher profile in this project because of controversy over early cost estimates.

Some analysts have surmised the estimated cost is millions of dollars too high.

Lenny Landau, a Longboat Key mechanical engineer, attended a Town Commission meeting in September to protest what he called the high estimates of slightly more than $1 million a mile to place utilities underground calculated by a town consultant.

Asked about criticisms that the estimates are too high, Town Manager Dave Bullock said: “That’s why we’re doing this survey.”

A March 15 referendum authorized issuing bonds of up to $23.85 million to place utilities underground in all neighborhood side streets and install fiber optic cable in areas where lines are already buried.

Another critical component will be hiring construction and project managers. That process is underway, Bullock said.

The next step is designing electric, telephone, cable and fiber systems. Utility provider engineers will use survey information to design systems and develop cost estimates.

FPL, Verizon, Comcast and other cellphone service providers, many with building-mounted antennas, will work with the town as it installs the new underground systems, Bullock said.

The town will simultaneously complete a business plan and buildout model for the fiber network, Bullock said.

When that’s done, town officials will have enough information to finalize neighborhood project assessments and review property tax assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Drive project.

Assessments will be imposed against property in the next taxing cycle. 

Bullock said construction is estimated to take several years to complete.