Jacksonville Beach has authorized up to $263,371 in emergency spending to fix a sinkhole at a city lift station. A collapsed clay sewer pipe caused the ground to give way at the site near 22nd Street North and Eighth Avenue North.

Public Works Director Dennis Barron told the council at its Tuesday, Sept. 22, meeting that crews found the pipe had failed between the wet well and the manhole at Lift Station 18. Heavy rain caused the top of the clay pipe to collapse, and the dirt around the manhole gave way.

The broken section of pipe pulled into the wet well, exposing the soil above it. Sewage flowing through the line kept funneling out dirt until nearly 2 feet of ground sank in a single day, the Beach Gazette first reported.

Lowest of five bids wins the contract

City Manager Mike Staffopoulos had already approved a $239,428.61 quote from Callaway Contracting Inc., a Jacksonville-based underground utility contractor. Barron requested an additional 10% contingency of $23,942.86 to cover surprises.

"We are asking for the 10% contingency just in case something crazy happens between now and getting it fixed," Barron said.

Public Works solicited quotes from five construction firms already working in Jacksonville Beach. Bids ranged from $239,428 to $571,356, and Callaway's was the lowest.

Undersized manhole will be replaced during repair

Crews will also replace an undersized manhole at the site. The existing manhole measures 4 feet in diameter instead of the standard 5 feet. Barron said the difference matters more than it sounds. Draw a 4-foot circle and try to work inside it, he told the council, and you realize that extra foot changes everything. The manhole replacement and the sewer line repair will happen at the same time.

Lift station already slated for full overhaul

Councilman Bill Horn pressed Barron on whether other structural or environmental problems could surface at the site. Barron said Lift Station 18 is already identified for a full overhaul in the city's five-year budget plan. Completing the emergency work now will reduce the scope and cost of that future project, he said.

No completion date for the repair has been announced.