BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Starke has been working to improve its aging infrastructure, but that infrastructure is putting up a fight.
Drew Mullins, Starke’s general manager for public works, told commissioners completion of its wastewater collection system project will be delayed by two to four months because of issues with the aging pipes.
According to Mullins, as the contractor was working to reline the pipes, the pipes were crumbling.
“This kind of goes into the whole broad area of the infrastructure issues that we’ve got,” said Mullins, who has encouraged the commission to reprioritize its spending to remedy the past neglect.
“When they got in, the pipes just started disintegrating. This is leading to open cuts now,” he said, explaining a need to replace sections of the pipes collecting wastewater and carrying it to the treatment plant.
The city knows about compromises in the system having already videoed and smoke tested the collection system. Starke is also under a consent order from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection because stormwater infiltration has resulted in flooding and sewage spills.
Mullins said the areas with issues included Redgrave and Laura Streets, and Alligator Creek, where relocation of a sewage lift station has gotten underway on Call Street.
Despite the issues, work has shifted to alternative areas as the first phase of the project proceeds.
Treatment plant
Mullins reported to the commission that the wastewater treatment plant is operating as best as it can. Efficiency will increase “dramatically” once the new treatment plant is complete, he said.
The contractor should reach substantial completion by the end of the year with final completion in April.
Electric improvements
Mullins communicated ongoing electric system improvements, including SCADA implementation at the substation to collect data and better identify and report outages. Additional modernization at the substation will update hardware to decrease stress on the system.
Florida Municipal Power Agency is working with Florida Power and Light for a secondary electrical feed to the substation to improve redundancy. The agency is also working with a vendor on tagging electric poles and mapping them with GPS locations.
Tree trimming will resume this winter. Keeping this up has improved system reliability by reducing outages.
In other business:
—marketing of the city’s gas utility will begin in December or January with the assistance of Florida Gas Utilities, which is designing the materials. System upgrades are also being discussed.
—Florida Department of Transportation has removed sod from under the railroad overpass and replaced it with artificial turf. Other streetscaping improvements are ongoing and will be completed in early spring.
—As Christmas decorations have gone up around the city, the city’s Christmas tree has found a home this year in Charles J. Schaefer Veterans Memorial Park on East Call Street. Anticipated construction in the Downtown Square made the relocation necessary.
—Demolition of the remaining Badcock storage structure downtown will commences after a stone base layer is applied to the parking area. The city is working with Bradford County Public Works on the parking area.
