Lake Wales' West Park Avenue to Close Again for New Drainage Work

A new 30-day closure of West Park Avenue will begin this Monday, September 16 to allow construction crews to enhance the stormwater drainage system and remove and reinstall the brick pavers on Park Avenue between Wetmore Street to First Street, starting Monday, September 16th.

Robert Connors

Drainage problems were evident on West Park Avenue soon after the completion. A heavy rainfall in May showed that the capacity of the system was inadequate, and the open basins were perceived to be mosquito-breeding locations. It is unclear if the current system of basins will be completely removed during the work, to be replaced by an fully-underground percolation system.

The work will include modifying a drainage system design that proved inadequate during heavy rains earlier this year, while also addressing problems with pavers "crawling" out of alignment on the street, which was noted immediately after it was opened to traffic.

The work amounts to a $138,000 change order on the construction project, an issue that brought questions from several commissioners, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board.

Chairman Robin Gibson said told the board that he has had experience with such change orders and that the question would be whether the work was "at the expense of the engineer or the customer."

Doug Forni of Chastain Skillman attempted to explain the flaws which have led to the costly rebuild of the new street, saying that "originally, we had a traditional storm system drainage which tied into the system across Scenic Highway, but DOT said 'no no no."

Forni explained that they instead used a system of sand-bottom coffers that would percolate the water into the sand. The square boxes, about seven feet deep, were in addition to landscaped 'rain-garden' areas built below street level that would also collect water. Forni admitted that engineers failed to appreciate the accumulation of sediment that would quickly clog the basins.

Forni said that the problem of pavers moving is being addressed with a new pattern and the use of polymeric sand which includes a bonding agent. That system was used in a later phase on East Park Avenue.

"Some of these things we probably should have caught, others were just circumstances beyond our ability to foresee," Forni said.

Robert Connors

The brick pattern used on East Park Avenue, right in image, will be used to reinstall the bricks on West Park Avenue (L) which have proven to be moved by the passage of traffic. A polymer adhesive will also be added to the sand base for extra stability.

"It seems to me that we've used the best," said Commissioner Carol Gillespie after hearing the presentations. She described Chastain Skillman as "very reputable," but added that "it just seems strange to me that...they would have allowed something like this to happen. I can't believe that this was a surprise to an engineering firm of that repute."

"At this point the question is, who pays for it? The customer, or the contractor?" Gillespie asked. "It doesn't sound like we've tried to get the contractor to pay for it, so I guess we're stuck holding the bag. Am I missing something?"

Commissioner Daniel Williams then joined Gillespie in questioning the cost, leading City Manager James Slaton to tell the board that the responsibility wasn't the contractor but the engineer. "I intend to have a conversation with Chastain Skillman following this meeting," he said.

The new work will include the installation of a network of "chambers" beneath the street to accommodate much higher volumes of stormwater. Those arched "StormTech" structures are a product of Advanced Drainage Systems, which is constructing a manufacturing facility in the city. Forni told the commission that the same system has been installed beneath the newly constructed Market Plaza, replacing a former open swale.

Slaton also introduced Ken Gaiett of Colliers Project Leaders, which he expects to prevent the recurrence of problems as the massive Lake Wales Connected project moves forward to reconstruct multiple other streets. Colliers is a London, England-based firm which offers a wide variety of services.

"We came into this project right before the start of construction," Gaiett told the board, "and through this process we've seen some concerns, some things that probably could have been mitigated very early on if the proper process might have been taken."

He said that his firm uses peer review during the design phase to provide the "opportunity to tighten the documents," resulting in "a much more robust set of documents." He strongly recommended the employment of a project manager, independent of the contractor, who would plan and schedule the work.

Park Avenue between First Street and Market Street will remain accessible by motorists via Market Street and First Street until a planned three day road closure October 16 to October 18.

City staff recently confirmed that required permits from the Florida Department of Transportation are being issued to allow the construction work to advance to planned changes at the intersection of Park Avenue and Scenic Highway. Once that work is completed the entire street will be open to two-way traffic.

The work is part of the multi-million-dollar Lake Wales Connected plan, a project expected to inject to life into the declining central commercial district of the city by creating a pedestrian-friendly environment of shaded streets accommodating sidewalk cafes and other amenities, enhanced by new lighting and street furnishings.