Drainage improvement project begins in Pace

PACE — Santa Rosa County contractor Chavers Construction has started a drainage improvement project to help alleviate flooding around Maranatha Way and Chipper Lane in Pace. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of June 2019.

The drainage improvement project includes the installation of drainage inlets, construction of a regional stormwater retention facility, modifications to the existing stormwater pond, and construction of associated pipe network and surface ditches allowing for additional storage. Following mobilization, the contractor will clear the pond area and begin excavation, which will take approximately six months. The $1,149,046 contract is funded with a combination of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, and local option sales tax.

"This is a much needed project that will greatly improve the quality of life for residents in this area," BOCC Vice Chairman Sam Parker, District 1 said. "The citizen's continued support of the half-cent infrastructure surtax will allow us to implement even more drainage improvement projects in the future."

Following the historic flooding of April 2014, the county applied for federal funding to improve the drainage in this area. This project is the tenth large-scale drainage project to be implemented with HMGP funding in the past eight years to improve drainage countywide. In combination with the HMGP grant, Santa Rosa County has completed nearly $11 million in drainage improvements.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Drainage improvement project begins in Pace