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From the Desk of Sarasota
City Manager Tom Barwin
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Presenting the newest addition to the City's Public Art collection! "Jumping Fish," created by Jeffrey Laramore, was successfully installed early in the morning last Saturday. I was on site at the Palm Ave./Cocoanut Ave. roundabout during the installation and it was a smooth, successful process. The finishing touches with landscaping and lighting should be complete within the next couple of weeks. "Jumping Fish" is s a nice addition to what has become a very artistic niche in downtown.
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This Week's Items to Know:
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1.
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Lido Beach - Update
The City's contractor continues to make substantial progress on the Lido Beach emergency renourishment project with it approximately 55 percent complete. Earlier this week, crews were working on a 400-foot section of beach at Taft Drive and the Limetree Beach Resort and were expected to advance as far south as The Beach Club by week's end.
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The emergency renourishment was desperately needed.
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Sand ramps are being constructed over the pipeline at multiple locations to provide access to the Gulf of Mexico, and fencing is being erected around construction areas and equipment. Although it can be an impressive sight to view this work being done up close, please be mindful of your surroundings so that you can remain safe in these active construction zones.
The contractor has lost several days of work due to weather conditions and equipment delays since the project started in November, but crews are working diligently to have the project wrapped up by early March.
We're encouraged by the results so far, that Lido Beach will be shored up and ready for the start of next hurricane season and until the start of the long-term U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project in the fall.
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2.
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St. Armands Parking District - Garage Opens 2/12 The new parking garage on St. Armands Key, located at North Adams Dr. and Madison Dr. next to Fire Station #3, is scheduled to open to the public Tues., Feb. 12.
We look forward to this new parking facility coming on line with four floors and approximately 500 parking spaces. It contains sustainability elements with efficient lighting systems, and soon solar panels will be installed on the rooftop, which will generate energy to help power the garage.
The new structure isn't just for vehicles. You'll be able to bike to St. Armands and safely store your bicycle. A tire inflation station will be available for both two-wheel and four-wheel modes of transportation. And an added convenience is the public restrooms located on the first floor. The parking rate is $.50 per hour for safe, covered parking within a short walk to the popular restaurants and shops on the Circle.
When the garage opens, on-street metered parking will also begin. Following a national search for the best and latest technology and
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Video: Using the ParkMobile app |
extensive demonstrations at St. Armands Circle, the pay stations and meters were selected. If you can use an ATM, you can use one of these! They accept debit cards, credit cards and coins. Or you can pay by phone with the mobile app
ParkMobile, which is a popular option offered in many other cities in the Sunshine State, including St. Petersburg, Tampa, Delray Beach and Miami Beach. (Check out the video above. If you haven't done so already, consider downloading the app now. It's available for Android and Apple mobile devices.) Metered rates will vary from $.75 to $1.50 per hour.
Please note: Free on-street parking will still be available with nearly 200 spaces in the area.
As many other cities have shown, we expect having a paid parking program will manage parking, provide greater accessibility to businesses and make the Circle an even more enjoyable experience with less congestion.
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This helpful color-coded
parking map has been distributed by the
Parking Operations Division to St. Armands merchants to share with visitors.
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3.
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Orange Ave. Utilities Work - Community Meeting Feb. 13
The City will be hosting a community meeting next week to discuss potential impacts from an upcoming water main replacement project on Orange Avenue from 19th Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
This project is part of the City's ongoing water main replacement program to enhance the reliability and safety of the system, and the work is scheduled to begin in the spring. A partial closure of the Orange Avenue-MLK Way intersection will be necessary due to the construction and road resurfacing. There will also be temporary impacts to the nearby school bus and Sarasota County Area Transit stops.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 John Rivers St. Staff from our Utilities Department and representatives from SCAT and Sarasota County Schools will be there to answer questions and provide some more details.
For more information, please call Capital Projects Engineer Tony Centurione at 941-316-8490.
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Motorists can expect a partial closure of the intersection at Orange Avenue and
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way later this spring as crews replace a water main.
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4.
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Community Survey - Last Chance!
The clock is winding down for your chance to participate in our 2019 Community Survey! After
being open since early January, the online survey will close at the end of day Saturday, Feb. 9.
We appreciate the 3,000 individuals who have already taken the time to answer questions about greenspace, recreation, development, transportation, planning, and the overall quality of life in our special city.
If you haven't taken the survey yet, we'd like your input! It should take less than 15 minutes. When the survey closes, the results will be compiled and presented to the City Commission in the spring to help guide priorities as commissioners begin the annual budget process and the many decisions that accompany it.
Click here to take the survey.
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5.
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Payne Park Tennis - Senior Grand Prix
The Payne Park Tennis Center was buzzing with even more activity than usual this week, as the City hosted a USTA (United States Tennis Association) Senior tournament.
About 100 players, ages 55-90, from around the nation participated in the West Coast Super Senior Grand Prix, prowling the clay courts in singles and doubles matches. Established in the late 1980s, the circuit stops in popular venues along Florida's west coast, including Sarasota, Naples, St. Petersburg and Bradenton.
Congratulations to all the players for competing and bravo to our relatively new Recreation Facilities Supervisor at the tennis facility, Tumeka Harris, for helping to bring the tournament to Payne Park. The tennis center has been under the City's operation and management for just about four months now, and great things are happening!
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A doubles match during the West Coast Super Senior Grand Prix
at Payne Park Tennis Center this week.
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Van Wezel: Shows on Sale Now!
Patti LaBelle
Fri., February 8 - 8 p.m.
Tickets
New Shanghai Circus
Sun., February 10 - 3 p.m.
Tickets
Boston Pops on Tour
Tues., February 12 - 8 p.m.
Tickets
Michael Bolton: Symphony Sessions
Wed., February 13 - 8 p.m.
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Catch Carol Burnett on Feb. 14 at the Van Wezel.
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Tickets
Carol Burnett
Thurs., February 14 - 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Dancing With The Stars
Fri., February 15 - 8 p.m.
Tickets
Seal
Sat., February 16 - 8:30 p.m.
Tickets
Stomp
Sun., February 17 - 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Tickets
Finding Neverland
Tues., February 19 - 7:30 p.m.
Wed., February 20 - 7:30 p.m.
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Finding Neverland will be at the Van Wezel Feb. 19 & 20.
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Tickets
The Beach Boys
Mon., February 25 - 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Sarah McLachlan
Tues., February 26 - 8 p.m.
Tickets
Russian National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty
Wed., February 27 - 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
David Foster
Thurs., February 28 - 8 p.m.
Tickets
To purchase tickets over the phone call 941-953-3368 or stop by the Box Office at 777 N.Tamiami Trail.
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CityNews@SarasotaFL.Gov
Tom Barwin
City Manager
941-954-4102
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