Officials promise a bright 2016 for Palmetto with many changes ahead

PALMETTO -- The face of Palmetto is steadily undergoing a change for the better, and 2016 could be a breakout year for the city on the northern banks of the Manatee River.

The year kicks off with the repair of the seawall along Riverside Park West, stretching eastward beyond the Green Bridge. The city found the wall to be "near failure" last summer and has been working to get a contractor and funding in place to pay for the repairs, which begin Jan. 12.

While that's good news for anglers and visitors to the park, the repair work will signal what is being called the "first of its kind" living shoreline, which will be installed as sections of the seawall are repaired.

The living shoreline is made up of manmade materials to mimic a coral reef to attract marine wildlife and vegetation, offering a spectacular view from a park that will feature other improvements.

Designs for the "Seahorse" building -- which pays tribute to the original building on the park grounds -- will go forward this year. The building will feature some type of concession and retail component, as well as a new upper deck that will provide views to the Manatee River.

"We got approval to go forward with the next step on that," said Jeff Burton, Community Redevelopment Agency director. "Some of the building was improved with state money in the 1980s so we've had to be careful what we do with that and still comply with the state rules, but I've contacted the state and there is a way to do it, so we should move forward with that in 2016. We have the funding to finalize the design. There are number of environmental permits we'll need to get, but construction should begin by 2017."

Riverside Park West and Riverside Drive will get a lot of focus early in the year. After the Feb. 6 Bradenton Area River Regatta, which also will feature many activities in Palmetto, the Florida Department of Transportation will begin construction on a multimodal trail from the Green Bridge to Riverside drives east and west. The $3 million phase is the first of a $10 million project to connect the city park systems with decorative red brick pavers, historic lighting and new landscaping.

FDOT, in conjunction with the CRA and Southwest Florida Water Management District, will complete phase 1 in 2016 and resume work on the remaining phases in 2021.

"We'll be working constantly behind the scenes on the next phases of that this year," said Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant. "The planning for 10th Avenue Complete Street project and the multimodal trail will take a lot of effort and we'll be looking for community input over this next year. That's going to be huge for this city, as is our efforts this year to improve our corridors and entrances into the city."

Veterans of Foreign Wars partnership

In October, the CRA and VFW Post 2488 created a public-private partnership to save the historic VFW building that was a National Guard post during World War II and later served the community in many functions. The VFW has owned the building for decades but could not continue to financially care for the aging structure. The CRA offered to purchase and renovate the building, keeping the VFW in place for up to 10 years and housing CRA offices upstairs in the old gymnasium.

Burton said the purchase will go through in 2016, at which time funding is place for immediate needs such as a new roof.

"This is a different project for us because it's more historic preservation," said Burton. "We'll do some immediate preventative care for the building and complete the design for renovation in 2016. The main work will be done either in 2017 or 2018."

Affordable housing projects

The CRA will partner with the Palmetto Housing Authority in 2016 to provide the PHA with its first source of funding since it was created a few years ago. The CRA purchased a dilapidated duplex just east of the Eighth Avenue block and demolished it. The intent is to construct affordable housing on the now-empty lot and have the PHA manage the property as landlord. Burton said the effort will grow from there to meet the CRA's primary mission of removing slum and blight while creating new affordable housing opportunities within the city.

Wastewater improvements

The city's wastewater plant has undergone millions in transformation and will get much of the same focus in 2016 as the city continues to update its wastewater and reuse water systems and replace 1950s-era water lines.

"We are moving forward with the wastewater plant improvements, finishing our injection well testing and hoping to expand our reuse lines as dollars allow," said Bryant. "People in the past had to be so mindful about water during the dry times and this will help a lot and ensure we maintain a static level."

Carnegie Library

The windows at historic Carnegie Library should be fixed in 2016 after the city received a $105,000 state grant. The city and Palmetto Historical Society will partner to match the grant, bringing the total to more than $200,000 needed for the repairs. The grant must first be approved by the Legislature in January, but no issues are expected and work will hopefully begin in July. Water has been leaking into the window frames for years, causing rot and threatening museum's historical archive.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter@urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Officials promise a bright 2016 for Palmetto with many changes ahead ."