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Highlands Today

Public Works perusing road projects

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: November 1, 2009

SEBRING - Sebring Public Works Director Rob Miller said Thursday that he's looking for money for some road work to compliment the Streetscape IX project planned by the Community Redevelopment Agency around the Circle.

The CRA is working in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation through a joint project agreement regarding the district's plans for Streetscape IX and the transportation department's plans to mill and resurface State Road 17 around the Circle.

The projected date for the CRA's plan to fix the sidewalks and curbs as well as making improvements in lighting in the Circle conflicted with the timeframe the FDOT had scheduled to do its work.

In a spirit of cooperation they agreed to work together rather than having to redo or undo the work one or the other did. The project will go out to bid and the FDOT will reimburse the funds up to a predetermined amount.

The plan is for roadwork and other improvements to include the spoke streets off of the Circle up to Wall Street.

Miller hopes to piggyback on some of that construction with roadwork of his own.

"We're trying to find money to do the remainder of Center Avenue and Commerce Avenue in all directions," he said.

He's trying to put that money together to include a few of the city's parking lots as well as redoing a crosswalk at Lakeview Drive and West Center Avenue.

"We're trying to stretch our dollars as best we can," he said. "I'm hoping to get some of the money from the CRA and some of it from my infrastructure fund."

He's hoping to begin the roadwork sometime in late March or early April, after the 12 Hours of Sebring races.

When asked about other roads in need of improvements in the city, Miller said he has plenty of roads that need to be done with limited funds.

"You can't eat an elephant in one bite," he said.

He hopes as the economy turns around more funds will become available for infrastructure projects, which often are set onto the back burner. He hoped more of the federal stimulus money will be headed his way.

"Nationwide infrastructure has been getting C's and D's," said Miller. "These roads didn't fall apart in the last year and that's not just true for Sebring. But, eventually you've got to pay the piper.

"Some of our worst areas that I'd really like to take care of I can't, simply because there are drainage and other infrastructure issues that need to be taken care of ahead of those."

He sited Washington Heights as an example.

The CRA is preparing a request for qualifications to create a master drainage study for Washington Heights.

"I want to have some of the work there done in the next two to three years," he said. "In the mean time I will continue to put some Band-aids up there. But I can't get those roads to where I want them at this time."

Highlands Today reporter Joe Seelig can be reached at 863-386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com

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