Undergrounding delayed

Carter Weinhofer Staff Writer

An obstacle found nearly three weeks ago in the town’s underground utility project will delay the project by about six months. Representatives from the project team gave an estimated completion date of January 2024 at the latest.

The delay for the remaining phases of Longboat Key’s underground utility project are due to an oversight by Florida Power & Light and a supply chain issue. Longboat Key embarked on this project in July 2019, and Public Works Director Isaac Brownman acknowledged the process has been strenuous.

“The whole project team recognizes that there’s a lot of fatigue on the undergrounding project; everybody’s ready to get it done,” Brownman said. “And I want to assure everyone we’re all driving towards the same goal: to get the job done.” that?” before calling her a profanity. The motorcyclist left the scene, according to the driver. She said she had not been injured nor was her car damaged.

Phase 2 is the most complicated phase with the most connections and conversions, according to Brownman. The transformers necessary for this phase are on the way, and the phase is anticipated to wrap up in July or early August.

CONFUSED LOCATIONS

4:24 p.m., 3600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen Dispute: While responding to a complaint of someone parked on private property, Longboat Police officers arrived on scene and saw two women yelling at each other. The officer separated the two and then talked to them individually. The complainant told the officer that the woman was illegally parked on private property. The woman said she had parked in the same location just a few weeks ago and showed the officer the dropped pin on her cellphone of the previous parking location. When the officer showed the woman that she was actually 100 yards north of the dropped pin, she began apologizing for the parking incident.

The project splits the island into four phases. Phase 1 has been completed with Phase 2 nearly complete. Phases 2, 3 and 4 already had some underground utility transformers, and the team assumed those could be used. About three weeks ago, while Wilco Electrical was opening the existing underground transformers, it realized they would not be compatible with the project.

Now, the company must order and then install transformers before the project can be completed. The nine transformers needed in Phase 2 have already been ordered and are on the way. There are 11 needed in Phase 3 and 13 in Phase 4. Those transformers, due to a supply chain issue, won’t be delivered for roughly six months.

In total, the replacements will cost an additional $300,000 to $500,000, which will not be at the town’s expense.

“FPL acknowledges this should have been caught on the initial design, so they’re going to eat the cost of the equipment and provide it to the town without charge,” Brownman said.

As for positive updates presented at the June 30 commission meeting, the department said 75% of all easements have been recorded, with the rest being sent out. Additionally, no substantial contingency funds were needed in Phases 1 and 2, and the town doesn’t anticipate the project will go over budget.

Mayor Ken Schneier and commissioners shared concerns about the fact that the town will still have overhead power in place during peak hurricane season this summer, whereas before the delay the overhead lines would have been removed by August.

Commissioner BJ Bishop expressed her disappointment with FPL “in almost every phase of this project.”

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am yet again in Florida Power and Light,” Bishop said. “It seems like if anybody should know about transformers and what they need and when they need them, it would be the people that provide power for a living.”

Hau Tran is the project manager for overhead to underground conversions for the entire state on behalf of FPL. He said this project is a high priority for FPL and more setbacks weren’t likely.

The town’s undergrounding of overhead power lines has been delayed, with an estimated completion date of January 2024.

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