Circle project wins engineering award

The downtown's Streetscape IX project has been nominated and selected for the "project of the year," by the American Society of Civil Engineers' Ridge Branch, an e-mail from CivilSurv Design Group Inc. stated.

John N. "Jack" Breed is vice president and regional manager for CivilSurv, which did the design engineering and construction management on the project.

He said numerous engineering companies from a three-county area, including Polk, Highlands and Glades counties, submitted projects for consideration. This project and two others made the short list and Streetscape IX won.

"I'm excited because my firm won," said Breed. "The real winners here are Rob Miller, (director of public works) and Pete Pollard (Community Redevelopment Agency executive director). They're the ones that had the vision that put this whole project together."

It will now be resubmitted for nomination on a state-wide level, said Breed.

The award criteria stated that projects should demonstrate significant achievement through design or construction concepts, use of new or existing analytical techniques, use of new or existing technology, adaptive re-use of existing features or infra-structure, or methods to minimize environmental impacts within the affected region or area.

The award ceremony will be held Feb. 24 at the Lakeland Airport's Hilton Garden.

The downtown Circle has a new look, brick pavers in the center of Circle Park, pavers on its paths leading from the center to the roadway, removal and installation of existing sidewalks replaced with bricks, new curbs as well as installing small islands planted with trees and shrubs.

The project isn't quite completed, Miller said, adding he has a "punch list" of things like rises and dips in the pavement that needed correction. Paving was completed Monday.

"The white crosswalk striping is temporary; basically, it's just paint," Miller said. "The (newly paved) road needs 30 days to cure."

If crews attempted to add the "thermo-plast" permanent striping, it could peel off because of oils leaching out of the blacktop, he said.

However, simulated brick-paver crosswalks can be done before that, about two to three weeks after paving.

"This is the first project that I've been involved with a project that has won any type of an award," he said, giving credit to the design group and CRA board.

Miller's department kicked in about $20,000 from its miscellaneous paving budget to complete the brick paver effect.

"It looks really nice," said Miller on the overall project. "I mean it looked nice before, but it's going to showcase the whole downtown."

"We're rather proud of it," Pollard said of the award, as well as the nearly finished project. "Not only did we make necessary and needed improvements, but at a time when it was needed we were able to provide jobs to quite a few people as a result."

Pollard said he couldn't remember the last time the Circle had been milled down to the bedrock, and it's been quite some time since it was repaved.

"The last time the Circle was overlaid (with blacktop) was about 15 years ago," he said. "That was part of the problem; the roadway kept getting higher. I don't believe that road has been milled since I've been here and I celebrate my 29th year here on March 8."

So it will be a while until the road will need resurfacing again, he said.

Working around the Circle one block at a time, the streetscape was accomplished with a $750,000 Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant and a $250,000 redevelopment agency match combined to fund the project.

These dollars come from a percentage of ad valorem tax dollars the city and the county collect from residents and businesses located within the redevelopment district.

The project helps efforts to market the downtown and to put it in a good position when the next economic recovery comes, Pollard said.