City of Winter Haven Amends Budget for Construction, Renovation, and Fire Alarms
by James Coulter
Expanded rail infrastructure, city hall annex renovations, and a new fire alarm system for the police department–these are some of the projects that will be funded with amendments to the budget for the City of Winter Haven.
At their regular meeting on Mon. Feb. 23, Winter Haven city commissioners voted unanimously to approve the first reading of an ordinance authorizing amendments to the city’s budget.
The budget amendments will “allocate revenues and fully fund related expenditures” for “planned projects and an emergency purchase,” wrote CJ Scott, Chief Financial Officer.
The three items to be funded through these budget amendments are as follows:
Rail Spur Construction
The City is seeking to enhance access to its 1,000-acre industrial park near the Link: CSX Intermodal Facility.
The proposed rail spur project will install 1.25 miles of track running from the CSX Southern Wye track to a planned 41-acre Chick-fil-A food-grade, cold storage facility.
The Rail Spur Construction project has a total estimated cost of $3,300,202 and will be funded from a Job Growth Grant from the State’s Department of Commerce in the amount of $1,500,000, a transfer from the General Fund in the amount of $100,000.
Construction costs in excess of the City’s $100,000 contribution and the State’s grant of $1,500,000 are the collective responsibility of Tratt and Supply Properties II, LLC (CFA) per the Cooperation agreement.
City Hall Annex
The City Hall Annex building (formerly Old Fire Station Number 1) will be undergoing necessary renovations.
These renovations have a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $4,021,235.
The budget includes “$2,000,000 for this project requiring an amendment from Fund Balance in the amount of $2,021,235,” the city agenda stated.
Fire Alarm System
The Winter Haven Police Department will require a new fire alarm system, as its old system “is at the end of its serviceable life,” the city agenda stated.
As such, the police department has issued an Emergency Purchase Justification for $57,872.47, with the expenditure expected to be funded from “anticipated excess General Fund revenue,” the agenda continued.
