BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Bradford County is assisting Lawtey with a grant-funded sidewalk project.
The project is design-only at this point, but citizens could eventually see construction of sidewalks on Park and Adams streets.
Adams lies north of Lawtey Elementary School, and Park is the street behind the school.
The city of Lawtey is not LAP certified, so the county will take on that role for Lawtey. Local Agency Program, or LAP, certification means that a local government is sufficiently qualified to undertake and complete work funded by federal dollars, complying with all federal requirements.
Commissioners approved interlocal agreements with Lawtey and an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation.
Update on recent projects
Public Works Director Jason Dodds said construction on Southeast 49th Avenue has wrapped up with the recent completion of the punch list items for that project.
Bids have been received for the resurfacing of Northwest C.R. 225 from U.S. 301 to S.R. 16.
Engineering plans are being completed for Southwest C.R. 235 from S.R. 100 to C.R. 231.
Four of the six roads on the county’s gas tax project list have been completed by the county’s crew, and additional roads have been added. Paving is on hold for the moment as the county waits on its asphalt supplier for a compatible asphalt mix. Dodds predicted they will be back to work on those projects in January, including Northwest 38th Avenue and Northwest 219th Street.
The road department was praised for its work not only for producing attractive roads but for improving traffic safety as well, particularly adding shoulders to narrow roads.
More time for other projects
The board also approved an amendment with the Florida Department of Transportation to extend the deadline for several grant-funded road projects by one year.
The projects include resurfacing Northwest 53rd Avenue, Northwest 219th Street and Northwest 41st Avenue from County Road 225 to Northwest County Road 225.
The design, engineering, construction and inspection was originally supposed to be completed by the end of this year. According to supporting documents, the permitting process was delayed due to staffing changes and discussions about mitigating impacts.
The initial permit applications were submitted July 16, 2021. Permits from Suwannee River Water Management District and the Department of Environmental Protection were issued in June and September of this year.
The new construction deadline will be Dec. 31, 2024, with a contract expiration date of June 30, 2025. According to Dodds, the projects have been advertised for bid.
More roads for 5-year plan
The commission also approved applications to the Florida Department of Transportation to fund three road projects in Fiscal Year 2028: Southeast C.R. 21B from Southeast Eighth Avenue to Southeast 30th Avenue; Southwest C.R. 18 from Brooker to Southwest C.R. 227; and Northeast C.R. 125 from U.S. 301 to the end.
In other business, the commission:
—approved a letter of support for the town of Brooker, which is requesting legislative funds for a new fire station, engine, tanker and rescue unit.
—approved a special use permit for a 300-foot telecommunications tower for Edward Saxon and Coral Towers LLC. The tower will go up on property Saxon owns at 25134 U.S. 301 North, which is north of Lawtey.
—approved the library spending nearly $26,600 for new computers and software. The previous computers were using an operating system from 2013, causing compatibility issues for users
