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From the Desk of Sarasota
City Manager Tom Barwin
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Boo! It's been a spook-tacular past week with many Halloween activities organized by our fun-loving Parks and Recreation staff. The inaugural Trail Carnival at Arlington Park was a hit with families, attracting approximately 1,200 children and adults in the Halloween spirit. Bark-o-Ween was a howling good time! A pomeranian named Andy, featured here, took home top honors in the "Scariest Outfit" category, thanks to a wardrobe assist from his creative human Kim Couts. And Trunk-or-Treat was another highlight, with vehicles decorated at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex and hundreds of little ghouls and goblins trick-or-treating and playing games in a fun, safe space. It's wonderful to see so much family fun taking place and building community in our special city. Thanks to all who attended and worked behind the scenes on these events.
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City Commission
Monday, Nov. 4 - 1:30 p.m. & 6 p.m.
City Hall - Commission Chambers
Agenda
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Downtown Improvement District
Tuesday, Nov. 5 - 9 a.m.
City Hall Annex - SRQ Media Studio
Agenda
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Special City Commission
Tuesday, Nov. 5 - 1:30 p.m.
City Hall - Commission Chambers
Agenda
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Development Review Committee
Wednesday, Nov. 6 - 9 a.m.
City Hall - Commission Chambers
Agenda
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St. Armands BID
Thursday, Nov. 7 - 8:30 a.m.
City Hall Annex - SRQ Media Studio
Agenda
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Statutory City Commission
Friday, Nov. 8 - 12 p.m.
City Hall - Commission Chambers
Agenda
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This Week's Items to Know:
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1.
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US 41-Fruitville Rd. Roundabout Phase I of the US 41-Fruitville Road roundabout is now officially underway, with the contractor, Wright Construction, Inc., mobilizing in the construction area and preparing for utility work.
During the initial phase, traffic lanes will be shifted to the west side of US 41 to accommodate utility and storm drain installations and
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Phase I of the US 41-Fruitville Rd. rou
ndabout is now underway.
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relocations. This extensive work is expected to occur through mid-January 2020. While all US 41 traffic lanes in both directions will remain open during this phase, motorists are encouraged to begin seeking and using alternative routes, with Lemon Ave. and Orange Ave. the officially designated detour routes.
During Phase II and III, anticipated from spring to summer 2020, Fruitville Rd. will be closed to all westbound traffic between Cocoanut Ave. and US 41. Drivers will be directed to Lemon Ave. and Orange Ave.
Coordination efforts are underway with the Florida Department of Transportation to expand the detour routes and posted notifications beyond the actual project limits in order to give drivers as much advance notice as possible to help them make the best possible re-routing decisions for their travels.
A helpful project overview, less than 10 minutes long, is available on YouTube. We encourage you to invest this short amount of time to better understand the project and anticipated timelines. Also, regularly updated information will be posted on the project website www.US41FruitvilleRoundabout.com
The roundabout is expected to be completed in Fall 2020 and will enhance safety for both drivers and pedestrians moving around our vibrant downtown.
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2.
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Coon Key MURT - Work Underway
Work is also now underway on a brand-new multi-use recreation trail, or MURT, that will connect downtown Sarasota with the barrier islands and provide an important link in Florida's regional trail network.
The 10-foot-wide walking and biking trail will extend from the Coon Key Bridge to St. Armands Circle, providing an improved, safer multi-modal transportation option.
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Drivers should anticipate lane closures on
John Ringling Boulevard for the next month.
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During this beginning phase of the Coon Key MURT project, crews will be removing Australian pines, an invasive species with a shallow root system that presents a serious safety hazard due to its tendency to get toppled over during storms. Motorists traveling along John Ringling Boulevard may experience lane closures while this work takes place now through early December. The closures will be limited to only the side of the road crews are working on, and at least one lane of traffic will remain open.
Once the trees are removed, we'll move on to additional phases of the project, including the planting of an even greater number of native tree and shrub species, the construction of the trail, the replacement of a 16-inch water main, storm drain replacement and the installation of three bus shelters.
The entire project is expected to take about 11 months. When it's complete, runners, walkers and bicyclists will be able to safely continue their journey over the Ringling Causeway Bridge all the way to the world-class shops and eateries of the circle and beyond to Lido Beach and Longboat Key. The Coon Key MURT will also link up with the planned Legacy Trail extension to downtown, filling in a gap in the even larger Gulf Coast Trail network that connects St. Petersburg and Naples.
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3.
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Main Street - Decorative Lights Decorative white lights are now glimmering on the trees along Main Street in downtown! As we mentioned in the last edition of Weekly Briefs, crews installed and recently tested lights on over 200 trees on Main Street from Gulfstream Ave. to US 301. What do you think?
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Decorative tree lights along lower Main Street.
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The initiative is the result of the Downtown Improvement District and the City collaborating to help make downtown a special experience, a place where visitors are encouraged to stroll the tree-lined sidewalks, window shopping as they head to their favorite establishment for a bite or drink.
The lights will be on display at least through the holidays, then the DID will determine the feasibility of keeping a portion of the trees lit year round.
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4.
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Parks & Recreation - Circus Playground Improvements The popular Circus Playground at Payne Park will be temporarily closed Monday, Nov. 4, as crews clean and prep it for upcoming repairs and improvements. The playground will reopen by Tuesday the 5th.
The following week, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, the playground will close for approximately one month while it undergoes renovations and repairs. The playground is well used by children of all ages, and the time has come to resurface the grounds. Much of the replacement will be synthetic grass similar to what is currently there, with supplemental rubber surfacing in places to extend the use. The landscaping also will be freshened up. We anticipate the playground will reopen by mid-December, weather permitting.
In the meantime, we encourage you to take the kids and grandkids to one of our many other enjoyable parks in the city. A full list of parks and amenities is available at www.LetsPlaySarasota.com
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5.
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SPD - Environment Leadership Award Congratulations to Chief Bernadette DiPino and the Sarasota Police Department, who were honored this week at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual
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SPD Chief DiPino with Assistant City Attorney Joe Polzak, who worked on the award winning initiative.
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conference for their outstanding efforts as environmental stewards during the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival.
The Grand Prix coincides with nesting season for sea turtles and black skimmers on Lido Beach, the primary viewing area for the powerboat races. The skimmers and all five species of turtles that nest on Lido Beach are either threatened or endangered, and the influx of spectators greatly impacted the turtles' behavior, including completely halting nesting during the Grand Prix activities.
To help ensure spectators and wildlife were coexisting and the races were not interfering with our flippered and feathered friends, a "Share the Beach" initiative was launched in partnership with Mote Marine, Audubon of Florida and Save Our Seabirds. The program resulted in the restoration of full turtle nesting and a black skimmer colony during the Grand Prix!
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Lido Beach is home to one of the largest black skimmer colonies in Florida.
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The environment and nature are critical to our thriving coastal community, and the "Share the Beach" initiative shows that with thought, care and respect, we can live in harmony. Kudos to all involved!
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6.
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Bike to Work Day The wheels were turning, quite literally, as we concluded Mobility Week! Early Friday morning, a couple dozen residents joined us for Bike to Work Day starting and ending at Payne Park.
By taking an early morning group ride, we wanted to give
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Sarasota Bike to Work Day
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participants an idea of what it might look and feel like to bike to work. Our ride was a slow-paced 2.5 mile route with plenty of contagious enthusiasm to be open-minded and consider alternative transportation like biking.
When possible, I incorporate biking to work into my schedule. And, we encourage you to do the same -- or look into transit, carpooling or perhaps walking, if distance permits.
Thanks to FDOT's Commute Connector program, Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, Sarasota County and our very own Transportation Planning and Sustainability teams for coordinating and supporting the event.
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Mayor Liz Alpert, members of our Transportation Planning and Sustainability teams
and I were among the two dozen participants.
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Van Wezel: Tickets on Sale Now!
Neil Berg's 50 Years of Rock & Roll: Part III
Friday, Nov. 1
Tickets
Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly - The Rock 'N' Roll Dream Tour
Monday, Nov. 4
Tickets
Dwight Yoakam
Straight No Chaser: The Open Bar Tour
Sunday, Nov. 17
Tickets
Latin History for Morons
Tuesday, Nov. 19
Tickets
Cirque Dreams Holidaze
Friday, Nov. 22
Saturday, Nov. 23
Tickets
Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2019
Friday, Nov. 29
Tickets
Sebastian Maniscalco: You Bother Me
Saturday, Nov. 30
Tickets
The Book of Mormon
January 7-12, 2020
Tickets
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020
Tickets
Johnny Mathis - The Voice of Romance Tour
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Tickets
The Bachelor Live on Stage
Thursday, May 7, 2020
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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REMINDER: It's that time of year -- time to fall back! Turn your clocks back one hour as Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m.
Thanks for reading this week's edition. If you'd like to receive Weekly Briefs directly to your inbox, click 'Join Our Mailing List
' below or send us an email at
CityNews@SarasotaFL.Gov
Tom Barwin
City Manager
941-954-4102
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