Learn more about the projects featured in the latest Melbourne Minute video.

Downtown Planters Spruced Up for Fall

The planters in Downtown Melbourne have been spruced up for the fall event season. City of Melbourne Parks staff used Florida-Friendly Landscaping methods for planting new grasses and perennials throughout Downtown Melbourne. Seasonal colors of reds, oranges and yellows were chosen for the fall. Look for the new plantings on East New Haven Avenue at Municipal Lane and Vernon Place with more locations to be replanted soon.

Study to Determine True Extent of Historic Line Street Cemetery

In mid-October, ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey work was conducted at the Line Street Cemetery located at 718 WH Jackson Street, as the first task of the “Abandoned African-American Cemeteries” grant that was awarded to the City of Melbourne in May.

The GPR was done to discover if there were additional burials outside of the fenced area that currently delineates the “known” cemetery boundaries, as well as the location and number of burials within the fenced area.

After approximately six hours, preliminary findings revealed there were 13 burials within the fenced boundaries and an additional 31 burials outside the fence, mostly to the north side of the cemetery.  This area is temporarily marked with flags and markers identifying these locations. 

The archaeologist and geophysicist who conducted the study feel there is a high degree of confidence in these preliminary findings. Further data analysis and research will be conducted in the coming weeks to finalize their findings.

 

The Line Street Cemetery has a significant connection to one of the founding members of the City of Melbourne, William Wright Brothers. Mr. Brothers, along with Peter Wright and Balaam Allen were formerly enslaved people who settled in Crane Creek in the mid-1880s. Brothers and his wife, Mary Silas, are buried in the Line Street Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1901.

The Line Street Cemetery fell into disrepair and became hidden under overgrown Brazilian pepper trees, weeds and trash. In 1980, a Boy Scouts troop spent three weekends clearing up the cemetery, and in 1985, the land was formally deeded over to the City for maintenance.

The cemetery was originally recorded as a historic resource in 2011. In 2021, a group of citizens approached the City asking for the cemetery and a few structures in the Crane Creek area to be surveyed. The City’s Historic Preservation consultant performed the surveys in 2022 and included a field investigation of the cemetery consisting of systematic probing along transects that were placed one meter apart.

The initial discovery phase pointed out that there could be additional graves within the fenced area than those that are visible. Because it was not known what method was used to determine the boundary of the current fencing, the City wanted to do an additional study to find out if there could be grave sites outside of the fence.

The City of Melbourne will receive a final report of the findings from the GPR survey that will formalize the location of all burials. It is anticipated that once the enlarged cemetery boundaries are determined, further preservation strategies for the cemetery can be planned in conjunction with upcoming grant opportunities.

Volunteers Clean Up 815 pounds of Trash from Ballard Park

On Saturday, September 21, volunteers cleaned up 1,726 pieces of trash totaling 815 pounds at Ballard Park in Melbourne.

Twenty-five volunteers worked tirelessly all morning picking up every bit of trash they could find in the park and in the water along the park.

The top five items were 368 cigarette butts, 164 food wrappers, 115 plastic bottle caps, 36 straws, and 489 tiny pieces of plastic and foam.

The clean-up event was part of International Coastal Cleanup, a worldwide effort to help eliminate trash from beaches and waterways. More information about International Coastal Cleanup is available from the Ocean Conservancy. To learn more about litter clean-up events in Brevard County, contact the ECO Division at recycle@mlbfl.org or Keep Brevard Beautiful, Inc.

August 2024

Learn more about the news featured in the August 2024 Melbourne Minute.

New Businesses and Investments Continue to Come to Downtown Melbourne

Fifteen new businesses have opened in Downtown Melbourne in the past year and a half, including Whit’s Frozen Custard, Villons, and Poor Billy’s Barber Shop. More than $400,000 in private investment has been made to upgrade building exteriors in the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area. 

To help visitors know where they can park when they visit downtown, the City has recently released a short video tour of the free public parking lots available in the area. A map and parking information is also available on the city website: melbourneflorida.org/downtown-parking.

In addition, city staff and Melbourne Police officers have been working with Melbourne Main Street and downtown stakeholders to find ways to help visitors to downtown feel safer. Work is underway to install 12 high-definition video security cameras along New Haven Avenue in the downtown area. This technology will allow the MPD to monitor incidents in real-time and capture recordings for investigations and evidence. These street cameras will augment safety improvements that were made to the City Hall Parking Garage last year that include installing security cameras in the garage and providing security guard service on weekend evenings.

City of Melbourne Hosts Spectacular MelBOOM Fireworks Celebration

Thousands celebrated the 4th of July at the City of Melbourne’s annual MelBOOM fireworks show.

This year's event featured a variety of food trucks, face painting, balloon art, novelty item sales and official MelBOOM t-shirts designed by Derek Gores.  

Each year, event sponsors generously donate the funds to make the fireworks celebration possible. This year sponsors contributed $37,896.

Improving Pedestrian Safety Around Melbourne High School

New sidewalks and other pedestrian safety improvements are being made around Melbourne High School to help keep students safe as they walk to and from the school and between the school and the Publix shopping center. 

The project is part of a larger effort to create an integrated pedestrian network throughout the City of Melbourne to improve pedestrian safety citywide.

New sidewalks have been constructed next to Melbourne High School along the west side of Apollo Boulevard between Bulldog Boulevard and NASA Boulevard.

Work is nearing completion along Bulldog Boulevard between the school and the Publix shopping center to improve drainage and install additional pedestrian safety improvements.

Safety improvements include construction of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant crosswalk and curb ramps for the main school crossing on Bulldog Boulevard, Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons, and 15 MPH flashing beacon school zone signs, and on-street parallel parking.

Drainage improvements include installation of approximately 400 feet of drainage pipe and inlets, concrete curb and gutter and valley gutter. 

Roadway improvements include milling and resurfacing, overbuild construction, excavation and embankment, maintenance of traffic, erosion and sediment control, mobilization, striping and pavement markings, sod, detectable warning devices and minor utility relocations.

Construction is expected to be completed before the new school year starts this August. 

June 2024

Learn more about the news featured in the June 2024 Melbourne Minute

Melbourne Salutes Hometown Heroes Banners to be Displayed Downtown Through Mid-August

Melbourne Salutes Hometown Heroes is designed to honor City of Melbourne residents, business/property owners, or their immediate family members who are actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, are veterans, or were killed in the line of duty. The program also recognizes City of Melbourne employees who are veterans.

From now until mid-August, the City will display street pole banners along New Haven Avenue in Downtown Melbourne, each featuring a different veteran’s name, photo, branch of service and years served.

More information about the Melbourne Salutes Hometown Heroes military banner recognition program is available at www.melbourneflorida.org/hometown-heroes.

City’s Proactive Sewer Pipe Maintenance Program Prevents Disruptions and Saves Money

City crews routinely inspect older sewer pipes and do everything they can to maintain them and minimize the impact of repair work on businesses, residents and drivers.

Instead of digging up roadways to replace pipes in need of repair, they line the pipes with a special coating that keeps rainwater and groundwater out of the pipes. Manholes and manhole covers are also lined to keep rainwater from getting into the wastewater system.

This work helps to ensure that only wastewater is being sent to the wastewater treatment plant — not rainwater that does not need to be treated. This keeps the City’s wastewater system from becoming overwhelmed during heavy rains and hurricanes.

It also helps the wastewater treatment plants operate more efficiently and keeps operating costs down. Because the City has been proactively lining sewer mains for close to 20 years, it has not needed to expand its wastewater treatment plants despite tremendous growth in population.

New Wastewater Force Main Under Construction

A new 36” wastewater force main is being constructed between Apollo Boulevard and Croton Road. The Western Force Main will be 6,000 linear feet long and will provide redundancy for existing customers and additional capacity for future customers west of I-95. 

This is the first phase of a larger project to expand and improve wastewater service in the City of Melbourne. Future phases include extending the Western Force Main and constructing a new lift station on John Rodes Boulevard just north of St. Johns Heritage Parkway. There will also be an additional force main constructed to connect Lift Station No. 6 (located at Croton Road and Leewood Boulevard) to the Western Force Main.

May 2024

Learn more about the news featured in the May 2024 Melbourne Minute.

New Water Distribution Main Under Construction

Construction has begun on a new water distribution main along NASA Boulevard, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Apollo Boulevard. It will replace an existing water distribution main that that has reached the end of its service life and also runs beneath the Melbourne Orlando International Airport’s taxiways and other areas of operation. 

The new water main is being constructed outside of airport property so that construction and future maintenance and repair activities will not impede airport operations or damage taxiway infrastructure. Water service mains for nine existing airport buildings will be reconfigured to connect to the new water main, and the existing water main will be grout-abandoned in place once the new water main is in service. 

MPD Hosts the Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run

The Melbourne Police Department hosted the Brevard County leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Florida on April 24. This annual event brings together law enforcement agencies from across the state to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympic athletes.

More than 100 law enforcement officers and employees from Palm Bay Police Department, West Melbourne Police Department, Brevard County Sherriff’s Office, Titusville Police Department, Cocoa Beach Police Department, Melbourne Orlando International Airport, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Corrections, City of Melbourne, and Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce joined the MPD and Special Olympics athletes as they ran over the Melbourne Causeway and back from Front Street Park on a beautiful spring morning.

“We were thrilled to be a part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Florida,” said Melbourne Police Chief David Gillespie. “This event exemplifies our commitment to serving and uplifting our community, and we were honored to host this event in the City of Melbourne.”

Large Stormwater Pipe Repaired in Three Days

The last phase of a project to replace an 84-inch failing corrugated metal storm drain pipe that runs between Hickory Street, Apollo Boulevard and a concrete parking lot has been completed. 

The City’s contractor, Shenandoah General Construction, used cured in place pipe repair technology to minimize disruption to the roadway and the time it needed to be closed to traffic.

Instead of digging up and replacing the whole pipe — which could have taken up to three months — the pipes were lined with a special coating that then hardened in place of the old failing pipe — completing the repair in three days.

In addition to being completed quickly, the lining sealed the pipe so that there are no joints that can leak or allow for infiltration of water into the pipe.

April 2024

Learn more about the news featured in the April 2024 Melbourne Minute.

Eight New Playgrounds Coming to Melbourne Parks

Eight new playgrounds are being installed in the City of Melbourne. New playgrounds have been installed at Masterson Park and Magnolia Park – one for the 2- to 5-year-old group and one for 5- to 12-year-olds. Work is underway on new playgrounds for 2- to 5-year-olds at Riverview Park and at Eddie Lee Taylor, Sr. Community Complex. Pineapple Park will also be getting new playgrounds for 2- to 5-year-olds and for 5- to 12-year-olds.

Melbourne Firefighters Honored During Awards and Promotional Ceremony

The Melbourne Fire Department held an awards and promotional ceremony on February 9 to honor Melbourne firefighters for their exceptional skills, teamwork and compassion. Employees earning promotions were recognized, and new firefighters were sworn in and formally welcomed to the department. Lt. Stephen Vallante was named Firefighter of the Year for 2023 and was recognized for his role in building a reliable Peer Support Team within the Melbourne Fire Department. Read more about all of the awards and promotions. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/NASA Boulevard Intersection Gets New Turn Lane

A new dedicated southbound turn lane has been added to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard where it intersects with NASA Boulevard. This will allow two lanes to go through the intersection instead of one lane to improve traffic flow in the area — especially during rush hour.

March 2024

Learn more about the news featured in the March 2024 Melbourne Minute.

Community Park Renamed in Honor of Tim Wakefield 

City of Melbourne officials formally unveiled the new sign for the Tim Wakefield Sports Complex during the Eau Gallie Little League Opening Day ceremony, which was held on Saturday, March 2. 

On November 14, 2023, the Melbourne City Council approved a resolution to change the name of Crane Field Park to Tim Wakefield Sports Complex to honor Tim Wakefield and to provide a long-lasting and permanent testament to his commitment to the City of Melbourne.

The Tim Wakefield Sports Complex consists of two baseball fields, a softball field, a basketball court, and a multi-purpose field. It is located at 1550 Mosswood Drive in Melbourne.

Tim Wakefield passed away on October 1, 2023. He was born in Melbourne in 1966 and attended Eau Gallie High School and Florida Institute of Technology until drafted by Major League Baseball. He was a gifted athlete and held international fame, yet he remained dedicated to our community. He served on the Florida Tech Board of Trustees, and he received an honorary degree and many awards from Florida Tech for his humanitarian projects. He hosted an annual celebrity golf tournament to raise money for Melbourne’s Space Coast Discovery (formerly Space Coast Early Intervention Center). He was also dedicated to serving children in the Boston community through programs such as New England’s Pitching in for Kids, Touch ‘Em All, and Wakefield Warriors Program, to name a few.

Deep Injection Well Digging Underway at Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant

Work to expand the City of Melbourne’s reverse osmosis water treatment plant continues to progress.

In late January, construction of a new deep injection well began. The well will be used to safely dispose of the waste concentrate that is left over after groundwater goes through the reverse osmosis water treatment process. Once the well is operational, the City will be able to produce more drinking water from groundwater wells because the plant’s capacity to dispose of the concentrate from the reverse osmosis treatment process will be greatly increased.

The deep injection well is one part of a multiyear project to expand the reverse osmosis water production plant that will include the digging of additional groundwater wells and construction of additional treatment facilities and infrastructure. When the reverse osmosis plant expansion is complete, equal amounts of the City’s water will come from wells and Lake Washington, resulting in improved water quality, significant reduction in operating costs, and greater stability and redundancy. Currently, most of the City’s water comes from the lake, which is more expensive and more difficult to treat than groundwater. 

Approximately 300 Kids Learn to Fish at Annual MPD Kids Fishing Clinic

On Saturday, March 9, approximately 300 kids enjoyed a beautiful sunny day learning about fishing and the environment from Melbourne Police officers at the Melbourne Police Department’s fourth annual Kids Fishing Clinic at Ballard Park. 

Some of the children brought their own fishing poles, and 242 poles were given away to kids who needed them. The kids caught a variety of fish, including mangrove snapper, sheepshead, catfish and redfish. 
“We had perfect weather for the event with families enjoying the day learning about habitat, conservation, proper handling, identification and resources,” said Melbourne Police Officer Charles McClure. “There were plenty of smiles and laughter and kids thanking officers as they left for the day for how much fun they had.

The Melbourne Police Department hosted the fishing clinic with Melbourne Parks and Recreation and the Melbourne Fire Department. Generous sponsors made the event possible, including Eau Gallie Rotary Club, Riggs Outpost, Melbourne Police Foundation, East Coast Legal, Keep Brevard Beautiful, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute, and Brevard Zoo.

January 2024

Learn more about the news featured in the January 2024 Melbourne Minute.

Eau Gallie River Dam Replacement Project Completed

 

A project to replace a 62-year-old dam structure on the Eau Gallie River near the Apollo Boulevard bridge has been completed.

The Eau Gallie River dam was originally constructed in 1961 to provide a temporary freshwater impoundment for the City of Eau Gallie's drinking water system while the permanent water plant was being constructed at Lake Washington. 

The dam structure had deteriorated to the point where replacement was necessary. While the original purpose of the dam is no longer needed, the dam is still considered important for maintaining the freshwater system that has developed to the west of the dam and the brackish system to the east along the Eau Gallie River and Indian River Lagoon. 

The dam was completely replaced with the installation of approximately 300 linear feet of steel sheet pile and concrete structure that will allow to allow the upstream freshwater water levels to remain the same as over the past 60 years. 

MPD Community Services Concessions Trailer

 

The Melbourne Police Department has been using its new concessions trailer at community events citywide, like Shop With a Cop, Halloween Spooktacular, and National Night Out. Officers from the Community Services Division attend several events throughout the year to engage and interact with the community in a positive way. They are using the new trailer to serve popcorn, snow cones and other treats at events. They are also using it to store and hand out giveaway items.

City of Melbourne Volunteer Board Members Honored

 

Citizens who serve as volunteer board members were honored during the City of Melbourne’s 24th Annual Board Reception, held on October 18 at the Melbourne Auditorium. The annual board reception provides an opportunity for the Mayor and City Council to recognize volunteer board members for their contributions to the city. Approximately 130 people served on 17 volunteer boards and committees in 2023.

Volunteer board members help guide a range of city services from zoning and affordable housing to code enforcement and pension planning.

Several boards currently have openings for new members. If you are looking for a way to get more involved in your city, consider serving on a City of Melbourne advisory board. Volunteer board members provide vital input to the Melbourne City Council on important local issues and have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to their community. For more information and to apply, contact the City Clerk’s office at city.clerk@mlbfl.org or 321-608-7220.