Drummond Park receives large-scale infrastructure project

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – One of Panama City’s oldest neighborhoods is getting a makeover. City officials broke ground Wednesday on a large-scale infrastructure project for Drummond Park.

Officials said this project will modernize the entire neighborhood. All the infrastructure within Drummond Park’s 25-block radius will be replaced.

“The residents are long overdue,” Panama City Commissioner Josh Street said.

Those residents have experienced chronic problems since Hurricane Michael.

“We’ve got people in this neighborhood that have trouble flushing their toilets. This is one of the areas that had the largest amount of sewer spills. And we replaced a lift station about two years ago to fix that. And so this is the next step in that process to take an 80-year-old infrastructure and bring it into the 21st century,” Street said.

The city will replace more than three miles of sewer lines and two-point-four miles each of water and stormwater lines. The two-inch cast iron pipes will be upgraded to 8-inch PVC pipes.

“You’re going to see more water pressure for the houses, for cooking and cleaning and bathing and doing life, as well as the sewer lines to take all that wastewater away from the houses and to our St Andrew’s wastewater treatment plant,” Panama City, City Manager Jonathan Hayes said.

Residents will also get repaved streets, new fire hydrants, and some new sidewalks. City officials said they’re getting the $18 million in funding from the state and federal governments. They’re hoping to have the entire project completed by September 2025.

“I know whatever pieces that we put in place today are just going to benefit the citizens that exist and live here today, but also their kids and future generations. So this is going to be something that’s going to carry over for another eighty, hopefully, a hundred years,” Street said.

The city has assigned a community liaison to the project, giving residents a point of contact for construction issues.

Contact them at pwproject@panamacity.gov

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