Jimmy

I submitted a question on 10/18/2023 regarding County Project ID 001976A concerning Project ID 001976A. I have not received a response to my (# 15485097) inquiry and would like to know if why and will Mehlenbacher Road be repaved.

Is it true County Project ID 001976A will not address Mehlenbacher road’s substandard 20 PCI surface score?

I live at 634 Mehlenbacher Rd in Belleair. The sidewalk/drainage project has the open culverts obstructed, and with Tropical Storm Idalia, there is no doubt the ditch will get record amounts of stormwater. In past years, the culvert has overflowed with regular rains, and flood water came as far as our front door. With the PVC pipes and the fact the culvert is filled with vegetation, I fear Idalia rain could cause significant flood damage. Please look into this immediately. Thank you

Project ID# 001976A on Mehlenbacher Rd, with its sidewalks and drainage upgrades, is a significant improvement and Mehlenbacher residents are grateful. Will Project ID# 001976A also address Mehlenbacher’s deteriorating condition? Does Mehlenbacher Rd meet current County design standards? Thank you.

Ditch Obstruction
The cabbage/palmetto palm in the ditch has grown back. On July 20, 2022, I reported a cabbage/palmetto palm growing in the culvert at 634 Mehlenbacher. The county overlooked my request, and finally, on August 20, 2022, Belleair sent someone that cut it down instead of removing it, and naturally, it's grown back. It's been over seven months since I'm unaware the county performed any maintenance on the north side of the 600 block of Mehlenbacher Rd under Pinellas County jurisdiction. Thank you, Jim Johnston

The cabbage/palmetto palm in the ditch has grown back. On July 20, 2022, I reported a cabbage/palmetto palm growing in the culvert at 634 Mehlenbacher. The county overlooked my request, and finally, on August 20, 2022, Belleair sent someone that cut it down instead of removing it, and naturally, it's grown back. It's been over seven months since I'm unaware the county performed any maintenance on the north side of the 600 block of Mehlenbacher Rd under Pinellas County jurisdiction. Thank you, Jim Johnston

I currently have a SeeClickFix # 12875845 request. I submitted to Pinellas/Belleair on 7/20/22. Regarding a 41/2-foot saw palmetto growing in the culvert between 632 and 643 Mehlenbacher. The request was acknowledged and so far, after over a month was overlooked. Could someone please address this issue? Thanks

On 1/20/22, I reported (#12875845) a ditch obstruction at 634 Mehlenbacher Rd to Pinellas County. My request was to remove a 41/2 and 3-foot cabbage palmetto growing in the Belleair stormwater culvert, do preventative maintenance on the culvert, and improve open culvert drainage. Pinellas County acknowledged my request, yet nearly a month later, the culvert remains the same. With decades of marginal maintenance and never any preventive maintenance. Last week after only a few minutes of rain, the culvert filled up. With the ditch's current condition, it's only a matter of time before overflowing sewer/rainwater destroys our recently installed front yard landscaping. Once again. All Belleair residents should receive equal levels of service. Thank you

There's a 41/2-foot and a 3-foot cabbage or saw palmetto growing in a Pinellas county culvert. I know it didn't get that size in a few months or even a few years. In 2019 overflowing sewer/rainwater destroyed our recently landscaped front yard and was inches away from our front door. With the ditch's current condition, it's only a matter of time before history will repeat itself with the wettest months ahead, another two years of marginal maintenance, and never any preventive maintenance. I'm requesting the county do preventative maintenance on the culvert pipes, something never done before, and improve open culvert drainage. The preventive culvert cleaning maintenance would include a jet router/powerful vacuum or pressure washer clearing sediment and debris from all culvert pipes. Install a handful of inexpensive culvert grates/grills. Take some time to make the culvert pipes level with the bottom of the drainage ditch. Removing weeds adds rocks to the bottom of the drainage and plant vegetation along the sides. The project includes cleaning approximately 45 feet of concrete drainage pipe and 350 feet of an open culvert.

The culvert at 634 to 638 Mehlenbacher Rd in Belleair. After two days of rain is blocked, whiskey bottles Styrofoam cups, weeds newspapers from the TBNweekly. Who I’ve personally called asking them to stop throwing their pare on my driveway and in the culvert? This the same culvert that overflowed last August causing my front landscaping to be washed away. Please have someone look into this so as to not have a repeat of last August. Please have someone look into this so as to not have a repeat of last August’s flooding. Thank you

Should I contact the County regarding all issues on Mehlenbacher in Belleair? How often is maintenance performed?

I've lived at 634 Mehlenbacher in Belleair since 1999. For the first time in 20 years, I called Belleair Solid Waste Department for a special pickup. The special pickup included leaves, yard waste, pebbles, dirt, and debris. Some of which was due to Belleair stormwater that clogged culvert. So, the yard waste was in one giant pile. The only non-yard waste was a 3'x5' piece of plywood I'd retrieved from the road. Likely from a passing vehicle? That was near the top of the pile and was left behind.

Last Wednesday, Belleair's Solid Waste Department's grapple truck pulled in front of our home. Saw its outriggers come out and watched as the clam bucket picks up a few loads. Ten minutes later, the grapple truck was gone. Leaving behind, over half of what was there? Assuming there was yard waste or debris from a previous pickup. When it didn't return, I presumed an emergency had occurred, and they'd return the following Wednesday? With no calls from the Belleair and no Belleair Solid Waste truck. My wife called Belleair yesterday. She was told by a very pleasant Belleair employee. Since the pickup contained dirt and leaves, Belleair's Solid Waste Department couldn't finish the requested pickup?

I had to hire an outside contractor to remove the yard waste or debris.

One reason I needed a special pickup, was last August, we reported a Belleair flooded stormwater culvert. That runs in front of our home, and that we've maintained for the past 20 years. It washed away our landscaping and was virtually at our front door. Also, the first time in 20 years, we requested assistance from Belleair. At that time, Belleair Town Manager, Mr. Murphy, informed me Mehlenbacher was a county right of way road, and Belleair "could not legally perform maintenance work on this .02 miles stretch of Mehlenbacher. I had no idea, Mehlenbacher was a Pinellas County right away roadway.

Mr. Murphy did say he'd asked his "public works people to see if they can reach an agreement with the County to either perform maintenance on the same regular schedule as the town or to allow us to perform additional maintenance so that our residents are receiving equal levels of service."

Did Mr. Murphy and the County come to any agreement?

However, even with Mr. Murphy assures of receiving equal levels of service, it took till 11/20/2019 for Pinellas county workers to address the problem. It will be five months since Pinellas county has performed any maintenance on this .02 miles of Mehlenbacher county road. With the rainy season coming, I certainly don't want a recurrence of last year.
I reread Belleair's policies concerning special pickups and felt it was well within policy guidelines.
Thanks,

I have more of a question than an issue. I live at 634 Mehlenbacher Rd, a County Right Away road in Belleair. This morning I notice a temporary red ‘Survey Crew Ahead sign in front of my home. Could you please tell me what they are surveying for and any details? I’m hoping it has to do with Project ID# 001976A. If so, or if not, any idea when that project will start? Thanks for your time. Cheers, Jim

Today a company, not Duke Energy, was trimming trees from power lines on the south side of Mehlenbacher. On the north side of 636 Mehlenbacher is a utility pole I’m guessing it a utility service pole not power? But it goes across Mehlenbacher connects to south side power lines. That runs north & south the length of Mehlenbacher. I pointed out the north side pole and asked if he was going to trim it. He told me since he was working on major power lines, he couldn’t trim trees on our side? I don’t get it? Who’s responsible for its maintenance? Thanks

Today, I received this message from Mr. Grimsley, of the Florida DOT. “Thank you for contacting the Florida Department of Transportation. I did some research on Mehlenbacher Road and found out that this road is maintained by Pinellas County Public Works, between 632 and 668.” Who’s responsible for culvert restorations? What maintenance is performed by county, what dates and by whom? Does Belleair do monitoring to assure residents are receiving needed attention?

The more research I do the more confused I become. When and why did Belleair arbitrarily departmentalize 17 homes from essential services. Including but not limited too sweeping the street, not properly maintaining an open culvert carrying dirty stormwater/debris causing flooding bank erosion harming landscaping.

Why haven’t renovations like those completed in front of 642 Mehlenbacher Rd west to 668 Mehlenbacher been done to 632 to 638 Mehlenbacher? Who did renovations and when? Thank you.