Atlantic Beach village surveys roads for needed repairs and repaving
A number of streets in Atlantic Beach are in need of a range of improvements, from the filling of potholes to complete repaving, and the village is currently surveying their condition.
Residents raised the subject at the July 8 organizational meeting of the village board, describing the deplorable shape of some of the roads.
Major streets that were paved in recent years are still relatively pristine, but some of the older roads are in need of attention.
Bay Boulevard, which traverses the village, is one of the top priorities, along with the entrance to Duchess Beach, which has potholes that need filling, residents said.
Vincent Amoroso, the village’s building inspector and public works superintendent, noted that there is a list of roads that will be repaved or repaired, and that the work will be detailed in an upcoming legal advertisement in the Herald.
“We’re getting an updated engineering report to list the roads in most despair,” Mayor George Pappas said.
“Overall, most roads are in good shape,” he added. “Like everywhere else, some roads need more repairs than others.”
The village has $600,000 allocated for the work, Pappas said. Each year, the budget for street repairs varies. If there is money left over, it is transferred to another line item in the budget, he explained.
“Paving prices vary depending on the extent of the road’s existing condition, and whether it is repaved or replaced,” Pappas said.
Last year the village repaved Park Street, and Ocean Boulevard was overhauled six years ago, he said.
Some residents claim to have been speaking up about the streets for years, and say they won’t stop until their blocks are improved. Others commend the village for the work that has been done.
“I don’t have any problems,” longtime resident Richard Applebaum said. “I’ve lived there my whole life, and I think Atlantic Beach roads are the best they’ve ever been.” Every day, Applebaum said, he drives down Park Street and various side streets, and doesn’t see any problems.
“I applaud Vincent Amoroso,” he added.
Randy Scott, a village resident and an Atlantic Beach-based real estate agent, said she is well aware of the variable road conditions, especially on the streets where she is selling houses, and understands the importance of good roads to potential homebuyers.
“They patched a lot on the main road, and they’ve been better now than in a while,” Scott said. “On Park Street, near the Water Club, I know they redid everything, and it’s much better on Beech Street now.”
Scott said she thinks the roads aren’t as bad as they might be because of less extreme winter weather over the past few years and, as a result, less use of damaging salt on them.
“The streets where East Atlantic Beach meets Atlantic Beach were horrific, and now they’re doing better,” she said. “There are parts of Ocean Boulevard that need to be fixed, and the roads in the village need a lot of work.”
Have an opinion on Atlantic Beach roads? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.
