Tallahassee city commissioners voted 3-2 Wednesday to enter into a joint agreement with Blueprint and upgrade water and sewer infrastructure along Bannerman Road a $9.5 million investment in Northeast Tallahassee.
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Tallahassee approves $9.5 million water and sewer upgrade along Bannerman Road
Blueprints project calls for widening Bannerman Road, with the agency responsible for relocating existing city water infrastructure.
The city wants to use the opportunity to install a new 12-inch water main and a new 24-inch sewer force main, which staff says would boost water pressure and improve fire protection for Northeast neighborhoods.
Jarrod Whittaker, a program engineer for the Citys Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure Water and Wastewater Engineering Division, says the work addresses longstanding system needs during the meeting.
“These are investments in the city’s existing utility system to address capacity, reliability, maintenance, and resiliency needs,” Whittaker said.
Vivian Young, a special projects director emeritus for 1000 Friends of Florida, says she is not opposed to the improvements but believes the project raises broader concerns about development, especially after the annexation of the Orchard Pond Phipps development near Lake Jackson was recently withdrawn.
“The planning process. Sometimes people make, or bodies make, seemingly insignificant small decisions that lay in place the framework for major decisions down the road,” Young said.
PJ Perez, who is running for Seat 3 on the commission, called on the city to look at areas beyond Bannerman Road for infrastructure improvements.
Before expanding capacity on the urban fringe, we should ensure were adequately addressing infrastructure challenges that our residents face today, Perez said.
Commissioner Jeremy Matlow who is also a candidate for mayor and Commissioner Jack Porter echoed those concerns, pushing to delay the item to next month’s commission meeting to gather more information.
“It’s not, you know, do I support this project or not, just a little bit more information would make me feel a lot better in supporting an item like this, especially when there have been concerns raised by the public,” Porter said.
Mayor John Dailey defended the project, saying the upgrades have been in planning for years and that staff confirmed the work is not driven by development.
“We have had years of discussion ad nauseam regarding our improvement program for infrastructure, years of discussion in regard to the Blueprint projects or Blueprint as well. This is our standard process. When we can save money and double up on the projects. We do this. This is not a new idea,” Dailey said.
Young says the answers provided were not enough to satisfy her concerns.
“There were only four paragraphs of information on this whereas 10, 15 years ago, there would have been several pages why is this needed? How much money is being saved? What capacity is being added and a lot of information like that,” Young said.
The project is set to be completed in conjunction with Blueprint’s Bannerman Road widening project.
According to staff, Blueprint anticipates beginning construction in late 2027.
The estimated completion date for the widening from Preservation Road to Quail Common Drive is 2030.
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