- October 31, 2024
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The planned reconstruction of Whiteview Parkway, reducing it from a four-lane road to a two-lane road with some additional turning lanes, may not proceed as originally outlined.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Council Member Eddie Branquinho said that, after a private meeting with City Manager Matt Morton, Assistant City Manager Beau Falgout and Stormwater & Engineering Department Manager Carl Cote regarding the project’s details, he had changed his mind about its viability.
“As the project is right now,” Branquinho said, “I would vote ‘no.’”
He cited concerns with the cost of the project, estimated at around $4 million, of which the city would only come up with around $400,000.
Branquinho said he wished to see more eivdence of what led former city staff members to decide on the lane reduction, when he feels less expensive alternatives exist, such as blocking off the extra lanes with painted lines.
“You never know when you’re going to need those lanes,” he said.
Morton has no concrete concerns about the details of the plan, but is open to reconsidering them. Being new to his post, he said he was prepared to weigh different viewpoints on Whiteview before jumping headlong into a project with which he’s less familiar than some other city staff.
“We can hit the pause button on it,” Morton said, emphasizing that the project is as many as three years away from being funded in the first place.
Council Member Jack Howell, who was already vocally opposed to the project, also met with Morton, Falgout and Cote to make his case against it. He has cited his time at the Traffic Institute of Northwestern University as leading to his skepticism of the previous city manager’s plans. The road is not unsafe, he argues, but rife with accidents caused by driver inattention.
“If anything, the entire road should be four lanes,” Howell said.
Also in city news:
A development order was issued Sept. 26 for Coastal Rehab and Sports Medicine, for a one-story 2,992 square-foot building to be located at 360 Palm Coast Parkway Northeast.
A small section of private road connecting to Forest Grove Drive in the northern area of Palm Coast will be permanently removed, as its public access agreement has expired. Work will begin Monday, Oct. 14 to remove the asphalt.
Eight spots remain for the Palm Coast Fire Department’s seven-hour first aid and CPR trainingSaturday, Oct. 12 at 9 a.m. The course will cover CPR on adults and children, use of AEDs, stopping visible bleeding and other basic procedures. The cost is $50 and the seven hours are broken up by an hour for lunch.
The winners of the Find Your Florida Photography Contest 2019 were announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Besides the main contest were categories for Instagram photos, “Special Events” and Youth Photos. First and second place in the main contest went to Linda Robbins, who received a $200 and a $100 gift card for local businesses.
Number of Palm Coast Connect subscribers by the end of September.
Amount raised by 30 donors so far in advance of the Pink Army 5K and 1 Mile Pet-Friendly Fun Walk Sunday, Oct. 13, all money benefitting
Number of daily activity attendees counted by Palm Coast Parks & Recreation for the week of Sept. 19-25.
Number of service calls made by the Palm Coast Fire Department for the week of Sept. 19-25, 107 of which were for rescue and emergency medical services.
