$126K lifeguard stands ‘reasonable,’ Delray told
How much tax money does it take to put up a new lifeguard tower in South Florida?
A new report from a Palm Beach County government watchdog agency says $126,000 isn’t an unreasonable amount.
Delray Beach voted in December to devote nearly $1.2 million to replace eight towers on its beach. The price tag included demolition of the old towers.
Some city officials thought the cost wasn’t out of line, but the expense produced a case of sticker shock for Mayor-elect Shelly Petrolia. She asked, “Why are we spending the money like drunken sailors down on our beach when
we are not handling the things in town?”
The Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General reviewed the issue and found that the city followed its purchasing policies. The final negotiated price was “fair, reasonable and within the market range,” according to a report released this week.
The city awarded the contract to the sole bidder, Pompano Beach-based Hartzell Construction Inc. The Office of Inspector General determined the bidding process was conducted properly, and the specifications weren’t so narrowly tailored as to exclude other potential vendors.
The lifeguard towers will be installed starting next week, and the work should be completed by mid-May, said Capt. Kevin Saxton, a spokesman for Delray Beach Fire Rescue.
The new towers are a step up from the simple wooden lifeguard chairs found on some Florida beaches, which was part of the reason the Office of Inspector General found the cost to be reasonable given the city’s expectations.
Delray’s towers will feature rust-resistant stainless steel bolts and solar panels to power fans and emergency radios. The city’s specifications called for a structure that would last up to 30 years and withstand “intense ultraviolet sunlight, high temperatures and tropical and hurricane force winds.”
The city is replacing towers that are about 15 years old, Saxton said.
Costs vary on how much communities spend on lifeguard stands, from the red chairs of Daytona Beach to the Art Deco-themed towers in Miami Beach.
Hollywood recently authorized spending $1.5 million for 20 new lifeguard stands, equating to about $75,000 per stand.
A review by the Office of the Inspector General found recent purchases spanning from about $39,500 per tower in Palm Beach Shores to up to $130,000 by Miami Beach.
Outgoing Mayor Cary Glickstein said he doesn’t think the city paid too much for the lifeguard towers, given that its beach is attracting 3 million people a year and is a huge part of the local economy.
“As a taxpayer, I would like to know we have provided all our public safety officers with the best possible equipment that is out there,” he said in December.