Milton seeks bids on Magnolia Street drainage project

Milton has begun advertising for bids on a proposed drainage and bulkhead project at the Magnolia Street parking lot.

The project includes reconstruction of 85 feet of the sheet pile bulkhead, modification of the storm sewer pipe and restoration of Governor’s Walk and boardwalk. In the parking lot itself, the project calls for demolition and reconstruction to provide a stormwater basin, stormwater pumping station and reconfigured parking lot area, plus sidewalk and curb replacement along Magnolia Street.

The town will hold a mandatory, virtual pre-bid conference at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 30, to discuss the project with prospective contractors. Bids must be received by Thursday, April 21, and bids will be opened at town council’s May meeting. Contractors wishing to put in a bid must put up a bond for 10 percent of the total bid. 

The project has been in development for more than two years. Flooding at the parking lot has long been an issue, especially following storms. About a third of the lot is often unusable because it is covered in water. A plan to improve drainage was first introduced in early 2019. The fixes would cost the town 19 parking spaces and not prevent flooding during storms, but would reduce day-to-day flooding. 

The exact cost of the project will come down to what the bid numbers come in at. The town has previously estimated a cost of $835,000, but Town Manager Kristy Rogers thinks the cost could go as high as $1 million due to the rising costs of materials. Rogers said the town has received $560,000 in state grant funding for the project; what isn’t funded with grants would be funded by the town’s transfer tax reserves. 

Originally, the project was to improve drainage at the Magnolia Street parking lot, but grew to include repairs to the bulkhead when engineers from Pennoni Associates found a 30-inch drain pipe flowing to the river had collapsed, leading to a loss of soil behind the wall. The wall around the pipe has also become corroded.

Rogers said construction is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 1, and is estimated to last 240 consecutive days.