Oakland commissioners approve water treatment plant expansion

The Oakland Town Commission unanimously approved Tuesday, May 12, a $488,590 project to expand the town’s water treatment plant. 

According to Capital Projects Coordinator Mike Parker, the town’s current water plant, which was designed in 2009, was created under the assumption Oakland’s population would max out at 5,600 residents.

In 2017, Oakland added its wastewater system. 

“With the central sewer now available, development exploded and has not slowed down,” Parker said. “It is now assumed that the equivalent residential population can be expected to rise to slightly more than 10,000 people within the next 20 years.” 

In 2024, Kimley Horn and CPH Corporation gave presentations on the water system’s limits, which prompted staff to move forward with a new water plant design. 

Both companies’ initial costs exceeded the amount budgeted in impact fees for the project. 

Because of that, the town looked for ways to reduce the cost. 

The first cost reduction staff considered was to eliminate the prefabricated pump building. 

Instead, the town will proceed with a concrete block structure that will not require any additional engineering costs. 

The second cost reduction is designing the new facility to use a pump currently in storage rather than a new one. 

“This pump will get us beyond the current crisis and will serve the town’s needs for the foreseeable future,” Parker said. “Ultimately, we will have one 750 gallon-per-minute pump to start with, and in the future, two 1,000 gallon-per-minute pumps.”

Finally, the town looked into reducing the electrical design and eliminating the need for an additional emergency power generator. 

Currently, the town has a 200-horsepower well motor that is used to pump water up to the elevated storage tank. 

Because of past improvements to the facility, the water now is pumped to the ground storage tank, which eliminates the need for such a large motor, Parker said. 

“It can be reduced to a 75 horsepower motor, which in turn lowers the electrical demand for the overall plant operation, and thus, eliminates the need for the additional generator,” he said. 

This change alone accounts for an $80,000 reduction in design costs. 

With these changes, Kimley Horn’s and CPH Corporation’s project design went down in price to $488,590 and $477,100, respectively.

After the town’s finance, administrative and public works staff held a meeting to discuss their options, they ultimately chose Kimley Horn’s project design. 

“I just wanted to recognize staff and appreciate your efforts in finding those adjustments in that program that could reduce those design costs,” Commissioner Kris Keller said. “I’m glad to see that it can be paid for by impact fees, but I always appreciate the fact that some adjustments were able to be made to the design, that we’re able to bring those costs down.”  

New Catherine Ross Road extension 

The new Catherine Ross Road extension is open to Oakland residents. 

The extension opened Monday, May 4, and it connects Oakland Avenue to State Road 50, giving residents of Oakland Park and Winters Landing an easier access to the highway. 

This connection was created during a 2018 development agreement with Landeavor, the Oakland Park developer. 

The developer asked to construct a connection to Motamassek Road, which was designed as a two-lane roadway connecting State Road 50 and Oakland Avenue. 

However, as planning for the road progressed, staff realized several changes need to be made to the two-lane roadway. 

The first addition was a sidewalk. 

As the extension is more than 5,000 feet in length, it was deemed a sidewalk was needed. 

“This would provide connectivity between these areas of rapid growth and the community at large,” Parker said. 

The second change included extending the John’s Lake Outfall pipes from 36 feet in length to the full width of the 60-foot right-of-way. 

Finally, the town refused to remove trees on the east side of the new roadway. While the initial plan was to remove all the trees, “that was something the town staff simply could not consciously do,” Parker said. “So, with some realignment of the roadway, a few changes in drainage, some strategically place guard rails and some negotiation with the landowner on the west side, it was accomplished.” 

Because these changes were identified before finalizing Fiscal Year 2025-2026, the commission already approved the work. 

The project totaled $102,064.50, in which the Town Commission unanimously approved to reimburse the company. 

“It’s a very nice road,” Deputy Chief Mike Bryant said. “It helps the police department expeditiously get down to State Road 50 and get to the southern half of town. It’s a beautiful road, thank you.”

Telecommunications towers ordinance approved

Commissioners approved the second reading of the telecommunications towers ordinance. 

The approval of the second reading means amendments to the current Land Development Code will take place, fixing the current lack of signal in town. Telecommunication towers now are allowed to be placed on town-owned property zoned R-1A as a special exception.

The ordinance includes increasing the height limit of towers from 100 feet to 150 feet, which will enhance coverage and reduce the number of necessary facilities. 

This ordinance also would create a minimum required distance between towers of 1.5 miles, rather than the current 2 miles. It also would require monopole towers, designed to promote lower-profile, streamlined structures, reducing the visual impact in neighborhoods. 

“All right, town manager, go find us some providers,” Mayor Shane Taylor said. 

“My phone works better already,” Vice-Mayor Mike Satterfield added jokingly.