After years of asking for help, Rubonia finally gets the answers it needs

Lifelong Rubonia resident Charles Miller Sr. has been waiting his entire life to see improvements made in his beloved community.

The 67-year-old says residents have been promised a lot and it has never happened. But Miller is hoping this time is different.

This time, the state and county are promising that $2.4 million worth of drainage and sidewalk improvements is coming to Rubonia.

“That would make my life complete,” Miller said. “I would just love to see it in my lifetime.”

Residents in Rubonia, which is tucked off U.S. 41 between Palmetto and Interstate 275, have been asking for sidewalks, improved drainage and other improvements for years. Rubonia was at the top of Manatee County’s 2017 state legislative priority list. Gov. Rick Scott approved $1.5 million in state funds, which will be coupled with $943,000 in the county’s infrastructure half-cent sales tax revenue programmed for Rubonia.

“That $2.4 million is going to be a significant public investment in one of Manatee County’s oldest neighborhoods,” said Nick Azzara, county spokesman. “These upgrades will not flood-proof Rubonia, but they will help roads drain more quickly and offset pooling and standing water after a strong, steady rain. New sidewalks will make Rubonia streets more attractive and walkable, and any time those kinds of enhancements are made, they can boost pride in a community.”

When Rubonia was designed and constructed in 1913, there wasn’t the level of regulation that there is today in regards to roadways and drainage, according to the Rubonia Subdivision Drainage and Roadway Improvements plan prepared by the county’s public works department last October. The state didn’t require drainage regulations until the 1970s.

“The existing roadway system and its over 100-year-old antiquated drainage design are prone to routine flooding,” the plan states.

The next step

Now, the county commission must approve the drainage and sidewalk improvements as part of the five-year Capital Improvement Program later this year, according to Azzara.

“After that approval, our public works team can begin taking the next steps to engineer and design the project,” Azzara said.

When Miller received an email from county staff about the approved state funding, he couldn’t have been happier.

“I was so proud to see that — and hoping it will start tomorrow,” he said. “It made me feel very good inside, long overdue.”

That sentiment is shared throughout Rubonia, says Rubonia Community Association chairwoman Mary Brown, who has been going around telling residents the good news.

“People were very happy,” she said.

Recent rains have caused the ditches in Rubonia to flood, highlighting the need for improvements, Brown said. One of her neighbors can’t get out of her door because of the rain.

“I know she’s happy,” Brown said.

The sidewalks will help with getting the Rubonia children off the streets, said Derrick Randall, who runs youth programs at the Rubonia Community Center.

“It will be a great asset to us,” the Rubonia native said. “All around I think it’s just a great upgrade for the community of Rubonia.”

Rubonia’s resilience

The length of time it has taken for the community to get this funding “shows the resiliency of the citizens of Rubonia,” Randall said.

“Now that it’s happening, they are satisfied as well as the county to be able to give us the improvements that we felt that we needed,” he said.

In fact, after the years of waiting, the community will appreciate the improvements even more.

“It proves to the community the strength that they have,” Randall said. “It was hard, but at the same time it was a great experience because we grew as a unified community in the process.”

Rubonia residents were resilient through the long process, Azzara said.

“Taken as a whole, we think these improvements will go a long way to answering the calls for assistance that Rubonia residents have requested for several years,” he said. “Rubonia residents worked patiently and persistently with county staff and commissioners to bring positive changes to the neighborhood.”

But while improvements are finally coming to Rubonia, Brown said they can’t stop now.

“We need to move forward,” she said. “We need to come together and work on Rubonia. We need to stay organized. We need to stay together. It’s work. We’ve come this far and the process continues. We can’t stop. We’ve got to continue coming together.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2017 at 11:50 AM with the headline "After years of asking for help, Rubonia finally gets the answers it needs."