FORT PIERCE — A resident’s complaint during public comment Oct. 6 prompted an impromptu discussion among commissioners and staff, offering an update on a long-delayed Lakewood Park stormwater project that is still awaiting final grant approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Ocala Avenue resident David Alice served as the catalyst for the project update that evening.

“I’m here to complain again about the structure on Kings Highway,” he said. “We had the drainage done, and now, it’s eight years. We’ve got a FEMA grant for this – they haven’t even started yet – and I think they need to do an audit to find out if they’ve still got the money. I really don’t want to go that way because the next time you need a FEMA grant for Fort Pierce, they’re not going to do it.”

Alice even made reference to former Public Works Director Donald West with whom he had dealings prior to the latter’s retirement and eventual replacement with Patrick Dayan.

“I’m getting so short-tempered after eight years,” Alice explained. “I spent over two years coming back and forth getting this thing passed. When West was here, he said the whole project was going to take two to three years. Here it is eight years, and it hasn’t even touched that structure. The canal was already done by the Department of Transportation. I don’t know what they’re doing there, but you need to put a fire under them and get something going.”

District 5 Commissioner Cathy Townsend, in whose district the project lies, responded immediately afterward.

“It’s odd that he’s here, [because] I was going to bring that up under comment,” she said of the Board member/staff comment portion of the meeting. “He’s actually correct. That was the first, fully funded project the county ever did under Don West coming out of the half-cent sales tax. It’s a fully funded project and was supposed to happen. Every year we pay thousands of dollars for a pump to sit on that canal to pump it out.”

Commissioner Townsend noted that Lakewood Park residents were originally left out of the loop in early discussions because they did not initially participate in the Fort Pierce Farms Water Control District like other nearby property owners. That changed after she and staff held a series of community meetings to inform them of the stormwater issues being addressed.

“So, it took about three or four townhall meetings for everybody to understand,” Townsend explained. “They willingly joined the District. They’ve been paying into the District now all these years, thinking that pump was going to come out of there and everything was going to be in place. I have asked where the money is, and I believe the money’s been spent for other projects. So, he [Alice] is absolutely correct in what he is stating.”

“That FEMA money was supposed to be for this project,” Alice chimed back in. “If FEMA’s got to come and do an audit, so be it. You’ve probably already spent $16,000 every month on that pump, so look at the money you guys are wasting. This isn’t right – this is public money.”

Immediately afterward, Chairwoman Jamie Fowler asked Acting County Administrator Mayte Santamaria for more details.

“This is to replace the control structure at the southern end of Green Dolphin Canal and upsizing three downstream culverts along Kings Highway,” Santamaria said as she also sought confirmation from Dayan who was present in the Chambers that night. “July 27 is when we received approval from FEMA, and we are going through the process to accept that grant and bring it to the Board. So, it’s not that we’ve had it for many, many years; we’ve been working for years to try to secure the grant and only recently received it.”

Dayan then came to the podium to respond.

“We’ve been equally frustrated with the speed at which FEMA has moved,” he said. “The Lakewood Park grant came in two separate phases. We were issued the Phase 1 grant for the design around 2019 or 2020. We completed the design and spent down that grant. We have been waiting for the Phase 2 grant since that time, which is the construction funding from FEMA. To date, we have not received that contract. We did receive an email from the Florida Department of Emergency Management, indicating that everything had been checked off and we should be seeing the contract very soon.”

Dayan also described the next steps.

“Once we receive that contract, we can bring it to this Board for execution,” he explained. “It can then go back to FEMA for final execution, at which time we would advertise the project for construction bid. We would receive the bid, receive the award and have everything reconciled by FEMA and then hopefully get into construction. Until that time, we are waiting just like the residents of Lakewood Park.”

Chairwoman Fowler then wondered about further contact with FEMA since that July email.

“Have we followed up with them?” she asked.

“Yes,” Santamaria replied.

“Have we tried to reach out to Congressman [Brian] Mast’s office for some assistance?” Fowler prodded.

“I have not done that, but I can,” Santamaria answered.

Commissioner Townsend admitted this particular Lakewood Park project had been an odyssey.

“Before Donald West left, I was told the funding was there and in place,” she said. “I agree FEMA takes a very long time: It took 20 years to get reimbursed for the ’04 hurricanes. So, if it’s that we’re waiting on the second part of the grant, I can believe that.”

Chairwoman Fowler made a final nod toward the speaker who’d launched the discussion that night.

“We’ll expect an update on that soon and be sure to share that with you, Mr. Alice,” she concluded.