FELLSMERE – Hoping to pave Myrtle Road and make the area safer for pedestrians, the Fellsmere City Council is moving forward to receive a $700,000 grant to go toward the estimated $1 million project.
“It’s going to be better than it is now,” City Manager Jason Nunemaker told the Fellsmere council at a recent meeting, adding that the road would be wider. “It is a compromise. It won’t be perfect for truck traffic.”
The north side of Myrtle Road has been slated as a future truck route on county maps. However, the road is too narrow and causes backups when two trucks are trying to navigate a sharp turn there.
The county had plans to widen, pave and realign the road, but when the economy fell apart, the project was put on hold, according to consultant George Simons of Carter Associates.
“We’re kind of helping them out,” Mayor Susan Adams said of assisting the county.
Instead of waiting for the county to renew its effort for improving the road, the city is looking to the Florida Department of Community Affairs for a $700,000 grant, which would cover not quite three-quarters of the project’s anticipated cost.
The grant application is due to the DCA by mid-July. When the city would hear whether it received the funds was not immediately known.
“I think this would be a big coup for the city if we can make this happen,” Nunemaker said.
Along with improving the north section of the road, the city plans to pave the south side and eventually install sidewalks to assist pedestrians.
The south side of the road would be narrower than the north end to accommodate the sidewalks, drainage and to slow traffic.
Mark Mathes, the city’s community development director, told the council that the narrower the road, the more comfortable people feel driving at slower speeds.
The slower speed would increase pedestrian safety and help the area feel more livable, city staff said.
While council members approved moving forward with making the application for the project, they questioned the widths of the lanes, trying to visualize how narrow the south section would be.
Simons and Nunemaker both said they would work with the council to provide examples of the different widths and come up with alternatives for the sidewalks and shoulders.
As for the project’s budget, Simons said he is basing his estimate on the last road project, which took about a year to permit and bid out. Depending on the cost of gas at the time of the bids, the cost could change.
“There’s a lot of unknowns out there,” Simons said.
Fellsmere Finance Director Larry Napier said the city has already allocated between $300,000 and $350,000 for the project, which would potentially make up for the cost not covered by the grant.