The Brass Balls Infrastructure Acceleration Plan, Part I

There is a plan coming on Thursday morning's BCC agenda which will greatly accelerate multiple desperately needed infrastructure projects that will help multiple districts, are ready for movement, require additional funding and are vital safety projects.

The project to improve and modernize Longleaf Drive will be awarded withing two weeks, and this roadway improvement will include a new bridge at Wymart road, pedestrian sidewalks on the north and south of the roadway, stormwater improvements, and a signal improvement at Pine Forest Road and Longleaf.  This important corridor is also the site of four public schools, so the addition of the sidewalks will be a tremendous safety improvement for students.

Now here's the really good news:

With the economy's recent retreat due to disastrous monetary and energy policy in Washington DC, combined with supply chain issues that have slowed many projects down, combined with a commonsense downsizing of this local Longleaf Drive project based upon 2007 traffic projections compared to 2020 actual traffic counts --the cost of this project came in significantly lower than what was originally programmed, leaving an excess of funds of around $5.6 Million.  (see breakdown, below)

So now comes the bold, brass balls approach to accelerating and supercharging some lingering, desperately needed infrastructure projects utilizing this excess LOST money.  Any time it is difficult and strenuous and requires a lot of thought, planning, and teamwork---it requires something else.  Alec Baldwin said it best in Glengarry Glen Ross--it takes brass balls....    this plan coming Thursday is aggressive, intelligent, and ballsy.

Here's the setup:

Because it has been the standing practice of the board on numerous occassions--when a bid comes in low on a district project--the commissioner of such a district has typically been shown deference in re-allocating the balance to other qualifying  projects--provided such reallocations are vetted by staff and brought forward to the full board for a vote.  So that's what I am bringing here, tomorrow.  (see the proposed reallocation list below)

$2 Million for Sorrento Road -- will get the PD&E done by FDOT and drammatically decrease the timeline for the completion of 4-lanes on this roadway from Blue Angel Parkway to the Theo Baars bridge

$500K for Beulah Sidewalks--will improve walkability in this community and provide additional safe walkways for students who attend BAS and Beulah Middle School--also potentially match money for the pedestrian overpass which is currently on the TPO priority list

Frank Reeder Road Enhancement/Improvement project--on the northern boundary of OLF-8 will make the roadway safer and more durable for the eventual development of the northern portion of this field as the artery out and northward to the site of the future Beulah Interchange.

Midas/Muldoon Stormwater project--a project that has lingered on our list for years--this injection of money frees up LOST funds in the out years and also speeds up completion of this project which will alleviate chronic flooding for many residents in this area

$602K in contingency funding for the Longleaf construction phase

I'm hopeful this vote goes through as it is an opportunity to get a lot of bang out of one pot of money for mutlitple worthwhile projects.  And the idea of waiting does not appeal to me.  I want to move quickly and intelligently and get as many projects completed as possible as quickly as budgets allow.  Let's face it--there is no shortage of needs and projects and there never will be--but none of us know how long we will serve.  Heck, nobody knows how long we will even live.  So, Like Nicholas Udall's famous idiom--I won't sit by idled and let the grass grow under my feet.....