ANNA MARIA – City officials are issuing a request for proposals (RFP) seeking bids for the installation of new sidewalks, crosswalks and lights along Pine Avenue.
The proposed safety improvements are the cornerstone of the city’s Reimagining Pine Avenue efforts.
During the March 17 work meeting, the Anna Maria City Commission authorized the issuance of an RFP that provides interested construction firms with about 30 days to submit their sealed bids. After reviewing the submitted bids, the commission will select a preferred contractor and make some additional design decisions.
Sidewalks
The new sidewalks will either be constructed of pervious brick pavers or continuous stretches of rubberized Flexi-Pave material made from recycled tires.
The bid proposals are to include brick paver sidewalks and the Flexi-Pave alternative available in several colors. Drainage elements will be installed below and beside the new sidewalks regardless of which surface material is selected.
During Thursday’s meeting, the commission debated whether the new sidewalks would be 6 feet wide, or 5 feet wide as previously recommended by project engineer Gerry Traverso. As requested, Traverso provided the commission with diagrams that showed several areas where there is enough space to install 6-foot-wide sidewalks.
Commissioner Mark Short said installing 6-foot-wide sidewalks would eliminate about 50 parallel parking spaces along Pine Avenue. Short noted each space must be at least 8 feet wide and there isn’t enough city-owned space to accommodate wider sidewalks and the existing spaces.
“By putting these 6-foot sidewalks in, we’ve taken off the table the ability to parallel park on Pine Avenue,” Short said.
“That would be a fair assessment,” Traverso replied.
Commissioner Robert Kingan previously expressed support for 6-foot-wide sidewalks, but he changed his mind after learning about the consequent elimination of the parallel parking spaces.
“That is a huge change,” he said.
Kingan said he recently counted 39 vehicles parked along Pine Avenue.
“That’s a lot of cars, and suddenly saying we’re eliminating that is a problem, so I’ve changed my tune,” he told the commission.
Kingan said the Pine Avenue business owners would be upset if those spaces are eliminated.
Traverso said due to sightline and visibility concerns, the installation of 5-foot-wide sidewalks will still require the elimination of a small number of spaces.
Short noted the new sidewalks will not eliminate any privately-owned perpendicular parking spaces associated with the Pine Avenue businesses. Where applicable, the new sidewalks will maintain the current meandering path configurations that lead to nearby businesses.
Commissioner Deanie Sebring noted that previous Reimagining Pine Avenue discussions included the potential removal of the parallel parking spaces in order to accommodate new sidewalks and bike paths.
Sebring said eliminating the parallel parking spaces would encourage people to use alternative modes of transportation to get to Pine Avenue. Commission Chair Carol Carter said eliminating the street-side parking spaces would result in more people parking in the surrounding residential areas.
The commission voted 4-1 in favor of 5-foot-wide sidewalks along the length of both sides of Pine Avenue, from Tampa Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, with Sebring casting the only opposition vote. That vote preserved, for now at least, the majority of the parallel parking spaces along Pine Avenue.
Bike paths are not included in the RFP being issued for sidewalks, crosswalks and lights. Bike paths could be pursued later as a subsequent phase of the Reimagining Pine Avenue project, but there is not enough available space to install bike paths and preserve the existing street-side parking spaces. A commission decision on installing bike paths or preserving the existing parking spaces is not expected until after the new sidewalks, crosswalks and lights are installed and evaluated.
Crosswalks
The commission voted 5-0 in favor of three raised crosswalks with embedded flashers being installed across Pine Avenue. The crosswalks will be equipped with control buttons that allow pedestrians to activate the flashers.
Traverso recommended a raised crosswalk near Roser Memorial Community Church and another at the other end of the street near city hall, The Donut Experiment and Poppo’s Taqueria.
Short suggested, and the commission supported, the installation of a third raised crosswalk across Gulf Drive at the Los Cedros Drive intersection. Existing non-raised crosswalks will be enhanced with additional lighting, safety striping and new signage.
“I go up and down Pine every day and the problem I hoped we were going to solve is people walking in the street,” Commissioner Jon Crane said. “My biggest concern is getting people out of the street.”
Crane is concerned that even with the new sidewalks and crosswalks many pedestrians will continue to walk in the road and cross where there are no crosswalks.
“Rarely do I ever see a pedestrian use a crosswalk,” Crane said.
Mayor Dan Murphy said shrubs or other landscaping elements could possibly be used to create natural barriers that guide pedestrians to the designated crossing areas. He also said the commission could consider adopting a jaywalking ordinance that would result in violators being subjected to citations and fines. No formal actions were taken on either of those actions.
Lighting
The commission voted 5-0 in favor of installing up to 27 new solar lights along Pine Avenue. The new lights and poles will replace the existing ones previously installed by Florida Power & Light. The commission reviewed some lighting options provided by Traverso, but the appearance and aesthetics of the new lights and poles will be determined during or after the RFP review and selection process.
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