CAPITAL PROJECTS
Palmetto Dunes Capital Program – Redeveloping our 50+ year old community.
Palmetto Dunes was originally developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Consequently, most of our original infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. Fortunately, the Association has a Reserve Study and a Repair & Replacement Fund that estimates the life expectancy of community assets and the associated replacement costs. In 2013, PDPOA commissioned an engineering firm to review and update our Reserve Study. This in-depth assessment ultimately resulted in our Bridge Replacement Program, as all 12 vehicular bridges were reaching the end of their useful life.
In 2014, PDPOA hired a full-time project manager to plan and implement large-scale capital projects. The project manager worked closely with stakeholders as we developed a long-range Infrastructure Replacement Program. The project manager also worked with the Lagoon & Lake Advisory Group, Finance Committee, ARB, and Board of Directors as we developed a Lagoon Management Program.
2016 was a challenging year for the community, as we experienced damage from Hurricane Matthew. Following the storm, we repaired tide gates, roads, pathways, and landscaping, removed hundreds of trees from the lagoon, and continued redeveloping the Queens Folly corridor.
In 2018, we reconstructed Armada, Brigantine, and Cat Boat and replaced the stormwater systems. During this time, we again thoroughly reviewed the Reserve Study and found inadequate reserves for drainage infrastructure as the community was originally developed without a comprehensive stormwater master plan. Following this review, the Finance Committee recommended increasing the Repair & Replacement Fund by approximately $5 million over the next 10 years to significantly improve stormwater drainage within PDPOA-owned rights-of-way.
Significant infrastructure projects since 2014:
- 2014 – Current: Six (6) of our twelve (12) vehicular bridges have been replaced under our Bridge Replacement Program.
- 2014 – 2015: The 16 Queens Folly Administration Building was constructed. The Association purchased the old Town Fire Station and redeveloped the site to support PDPOA operations.
- 2014 – 2018: The Queens Folly Corridor was redeveloped. A new gatehouse was constructed, inbound and outbound roadways were realigned, separated leisure pathways were added, both bridges were replaced, landscaping was enhanced, and an observation deck was constructed adjacent to the lagoon.
- 2014 – Current: The Association developed and implemented a Lagoon & Lakes Management Program, the scope of which included dredging the 11-mile lagoon and lake system, repairing the tide gates, installing aeration systems, conducting routine water testing, fish restocking, vegetation pruning, and shoreline management.
- 2015: The Mooring Buoy Corridor (from Dune House Lane to the 3-way stop at Sea Lane) was redeveloped, including realignment of the roadway, replacement of stormwater drainage infrastructure, and the addition of a separated leisure pathway with landscaping enhancements.
- 2015: The community’s first bridge replacement project was conducted on Starboard Tack.
- 2015 – 2019: The Association replaced eight (8) Beach Access pathways with ramps over the dunes system.
- 2016: The T-Street roadways on Armada, Brigantine, and Cat Boat were reconstructed, including the installation of new stormwater drainage infrastructure.
- 2020: The Port Tack Corridor from Mooring Buoy to Full Sweep was redeveloped, which included replacing both vehicular bridges, the addition of a new leisure pathway, improving stormwater drainage infrastructure, and landscaping enhancements.
- 2020: Stormwater drainage improvements and road reconstruction on Lookout.
- 2021: Sea Lane, Weather Shore, Lee Shore, and Starboard Tack (Sea Lane to Rum Row) was redeveloped. The scope of work included reconstructing the streets and installing drainage infrastructure, replacing Broad Creek Public Service District’s domestic waterline, and realigning Sea Lane with a separate leisure pathway and enhanced greenspace landscaping.
- 2022: New stormwater drainage infrastructure installed on Port Tack at the intersection of Down Wind.
- 2022 – 2023: The Sea Lane bridge was replaced, including realignment of the roadway and leisure pathway, integration of significant landscaping enhancements, and infrastructure improvements to accommodate future stormwater management initiatives along the Mooring Buoy corridor.
- 2023: Beach access pathways at Brigantine/Cat Boat and Flotilla/Galleon converted from stairs to ramps to improve ease of use. The addition of a Mobi-mat® nonslip beach path mat to improve safety and accessibility at the Dunes House beach access for people with disabilities or parents with strollers.
- 2023 – 2024: Redevelopment of the Mooring Buoy Corridor (from Sea Lane to Port Tack), including roadway realignment and reconstruction, significant reconfiguration of the leisure path to improve accessibility and safety, new stormwater drainage infrastructure, and improvement of the Broad Creek PSD utilities.
- 2023 – 2024: Redevelopment of Dunes House Lane and parking areas to improve safety and accessibility. Planned improvements include new road and parking surfaces, relocated parking for handicapped users, dedicated spaces for bicycles, compact vehicles, and the Dunes Buggy, the establishment of inbound and outbound drive aisles to increase accessibility for emergency vehicles, and the integration of additional parking spaces.
Since 2014, PDPOA has invested approximately $22 million in repairing and replacing community assets. Over the next 10 years, we project continued significant investment in infrastructure replacement. The Association is pleased to report that we continue to take a long-range, holistic approach as we redevelop our 56-year-old residential resort community.