County Saves $41,000 On New Traffic Signal

SEBRING - Highlands County will save $41,000 on the new traffic signal at Memorial Drive and Valerie Boulevard by having county crews do the project in-house.

County commissioners approved the county's Road and Bridge Department and traffic department doing the job, with supervision by the county engineer's staff.

The total project will cost $140,000, county Engineer Ramon Gavarrete told the commissioners Tuesday.

That is more than $41,000 less than the cost of $181,427 to have a private contractor do the job, Gavarrete said.

"The $41,000 savings amounts to a savings of 23 percent of the (contractor's) bid," he added.
Commissioners unanimously approved Gavarrete's recommendation to have county work crews do the job.

Then came the big question which Gavarrete first addressed when he talked to a Highlands Today reporter about the new traffic signal on Friday.

"Will the light be in by the time school starts?" asked Highlands County Commissioner Don Bates.
"I am hesitant to say yes," Gavarrete answered.

He explained that whether the county's workers or a private company does the job, the installation time depends totally on how soon the mast arms for the traffic signal can be delivered.
"It's taking three to four months to get the mast arms delivered," Gavarrete said.

If the mast arms are delivered in three months, the light should be in operation just before the new Memorial Drive Elementary School opens in late August.

If the mast arms are delivered in about four months, Gavarrete said, the traffic signal won't be in operation when the school opens.

The main reason a traffic signal is is needed at what is now a four-way stop intersection is the big increase in traffic volume from the new school, Gavarrete said.

"We'll try to have it in before school starts," Gavarrete said.

Gavarrete gave one hopeful sign about the chances of having the traffic signal operating at the start of the next school year. Because the recession has slowed down construction all over the state, he said, the company that makes mast arms for traffic signals should have less business now and thus will have an easier time getting the mast arms here on time.

"This intersection has been a problem for years," said county Commissioner Edgar Stokes. "We've been working toward this (traffic signal there) for years."

Last year, due to vehicle crashes at this busy intersection, the county upgraded it from a two-way stop, with stop signs only on Valerie Boulevard, to a four-way stop. When the new school opens, Gavarrete said, a traffic signal will be needed to improve safety.

Gavarrete said he will be coming back to the county commission with a funding request to add three turning lanes at the approaches to the intersection of Memorial Drive and Valerie Boulevard.

The project will cost about $400,000, depending on the price of asphalt, he said.

Commissioners asked if the county's Road and Bridge department could do the job at a cost lower than hiring a paving contractor.

Gavarrete said Road and Bridge can't do this job because the paving crews are too busy building the new section of Sebring Parkway.

In other action on Tuesday, the commissioners:

* Donated $1,000 to sponsor the Highlands County Boys and Girls Club at the Highlands County Balloon Festival on Friday and Saturday, May 30 and 31; and
* Amended the county's rules for when an American flag can be lowered to half staff.

The change allows American flags at county buildings to be lowered to half staff when: a current or past resident of Highlands County is on active duty in one of the armed forces and is killed in the line of duty in a combat zone; and when a law enforcement officer or firefighter who works in Highlands County is killed in the line of duty.