Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/309372
That news was what prompted the commis- sioners to tell Tidwell and Garland to look at aboveground facilities. And on May 5, the men brought to the commission table what had been ordered. The results will necessitate a complete redesign of the Sarasota facility. TOTAL REPUDIATION The sense of resignation was almost palpa- ble. No breast-beating; no howls of outrage; no pointed fingers; no scapegoating. The decisions were taken so long ago that all the players involved have disappeared from the stage. The project began two city managers' and two utilities directors' tenures ago. And the engineering design consultancy that pro- duced the plan that turned out to be so crazily wrong is now defending itself in what prom- ises to be a years-long lawsuit brought by the city. The entire comedy of errors should be a case study for other cities. When should engineers surrender their good instincts to satisfy neigh- bors who do not want a lift station nearby? "We'll just put it underground!" Who decides when a novel solution veers into the high-risk category? "You have hurricanes here?" Two types of architectural styles were proposed for the building that will house the aboveground Lift Station 87. Image courtesy McKim & Creed Sarasota News Leader May 9, 2014 Page 31