From the pavilions to the playground, the makeover of Melbourne Beach is well underway.
Since Tom Davis stepped down from his position as vice mayor last August and took on the role of Public Works Supervisor, he and his team, which includes Brian Vickers, Sean Hasner and Greg Schaefer, have all been busy revamping, rebuilding, repainting and repairing structures and facilities across the community.
First was the renovation and rebuild of the Ryckman Park pavilion. While an outside contractor offered to do the work for $25,000, Davis and his team got it done for just under $7,000.
When he first took the job, Davis suggested recruiting a volunteer coordinator – someone who could organize offers of volunteer assistance – as well as donations from people who wanted to help with certain projects around the community. It’s a move that has paid off. Longtime Melbourne Beach resident Bruce Black took on the position and since then Davis said many people have been lining up to lend a hand.
“We have completely rebuilt the pavilion area with the help of Collins Painting owner Mickey Collins,” Davis said. “Mickey donated all the labor and materials to paint the pavilions.”
Founded in 1883, Melbourne Beach is a town rich with history – and historical sites – many in desperate need of a facelift.
Knowing this, Davis isolated specific needs, such as additional improvements to the 130-year-old Melbourne Beach Pier, which recently underwent a comprehensive structural restoration completed by Land and Sea Marine Inc.
The team added new lighting and a new entrance. “The old entrance area at the pier was found to have been nearly falling over because of severe insect and weather damage,” Davis said. “So, that was removed, and a new entrance was constructed.”
For the Ryckman House, which was built in 1889, Public Works repainted the porch ceiling and removed and replaced a large area of rotted wood. A new roof for the structure was contracted out and the work was recently completed.
The entire playground area in Ryckman Park has now been refurbished, including the addition of all-new mulch. The new toddler playground area will be complete within the next few weeks. It’s a project that almost stalled when the cost of replacing all the playground equipment was estimated at nearly $300,000. Town commissioners put aside $50,000 of tax revenue in 2017 and another $50,000 in 2018 for the project.
But Davis found he could replace all the deteriorating parts – instead of the entire piece of equipment – and brought the cost of the project down to around $85,000, which also allowed them to order and install a brand-new $34,000 toddler play area.
Other projects Public Works can cross of their list include the creation of three new parking spaces for low-speed vehicles (LSV) and golf carts along Ocean Avenue; landscaping in front of town hall; andinstallation of a new bike rack; and replacement of the rotted supports by the Ryckman Park restrooms.
New projects are added and completed daily. “The restrooms located in the Ocean Park have been painted,” Davis said. “Additionally, we obtained permitting to trim the sea grapes that were overtaking Ocean Park. That work will be completed in April (and) include the removal of a very large area of invasive plants.” Currently construction is also underway to replace two of the town’s beach access crossovers – with a plan to complete two more each year.
In 2017, the town eliminated the position of Public Works Supervisor, but now Mayor Jim Simmons says – and most in town agree – bringing the role back and giving Davis the job was the right call, and has saved the town money.
“As I expected, Tom jumped right into the backlog of tasks and has made many significant contributions already, including the rebuilding of our Ryckman Park Pavilion and the fish kill cleanup, which he and Brian Vickers, Sean Hasler and Greg Schaefer, plus several resident volunteers completed in a remarkable two days,” Simmons said.
“Tom is a real asset to our town and I really appreciate the leadership and mentoring he brings to our Public Works Department,” Simmons said.
With a portion of the savings he’s helped accumulate, Davis requested – and the town commissioners approved – the replacement of the 12-year-old year old public works utility vehicle with a brand-new one.
Looking ahead, the team plans to paint the community center and restructure all the roofs covering the picnic table in Ocean Park. They’ll also replace equipment that will make the gates leading into the police and public works area fully operational again after nearly 15 years.
“Our goal is that by next year we will have completed all the major projects and then can go into a maintenance mode,” Davis said. “A great deal of recognition is owed to my public works crew, and our commission has been very supportive of all our efforts, making this a very exciting time for us all.”
