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From the Desk of Sarasota
City Manager Tom Barwin
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
The Skate Park at Payne Park in downtown is now free. During its regular meeting this week, the City Commission eliminated the previous modest user fee. The current operator, Sk8skool, will continue to run this popular facility while our Parks and Recreation staff assembles several options for future operations, as directed by the commission. Over the years, free admission at skate parks has become a standard best practice in the Parks & Rec industry, offering a safe environment for youth to congregate and enjoy skating at all skill levels.
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Upcoming Meetings
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*Some agendas not yet available
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This Week's Items to Know:
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1.
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Thanksgiving - Holiday Hours
As we enter the holiday season next week, we'd like to share holiday calendars and schedule changes, particularly for garbage and recycling collection. We understand it can be inconvenient (not to mention a bit odiferous) to miss a collection day.
There will be no garbage, recycling and yard waste pickup on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 28.
Collection will be delayed one day. So,
Thursday pickup will be on Friday and Friday will be on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Hours at our facilities will vary on Thanksgiving and the day after, so please call ahead or check our
holiday hours online.
Don't forget: Bobby Jones Golf Club, open 365 days a years, will offer regular 18- and 9-hole regular play on the holiday and will be the venue for the 11th Annual "Turkey Shoot" -- an excellent way to enjoy some fresh air and exercise before enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. Hours of operation and information about the "Turkey Shoot" is available on the
Bobby Jones website or by calling 941-365-GOLF (4653).
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2.
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Van Wezel - Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales Thanksgiving and Black Friday go hand in hand, and Black Friday arrived early for the Van Wezel! Great deals are already going on -- with up to 50 percent off select shows!
This all-new extended sale ends Monday, Dec. 2, at 11:59 p.m.
Bargain hunters looking for a terrific deal at our popular cultural arts venue can check out a full list of shows included in the sale at www.VanWezel.com Online purchase code is: SAVINGS
In addition to online, tickets can be purchased at the Box Office, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, or by calling 941-953-3368.
Over two dozen exciting shows are included in this special sale. We encourage you to check them out while tickets are available! Remember: Sale ends Monday, Dec. 2, at one minute to midnight!
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3.
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US 41-Fruitville Rd. Roundabout - Detours Start 11/25 The contractor constructing
the US 41-Fruitville Road roundabout has accelerated the initial phase of the project. So, the two significant traffic pattern changes previously mentioned in Weekly Briefs are now scheduled to begin along the US 41 corridor as soon as Monday, Nov. 25.
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The eastbound left turn from southbound US 41 will not be allowed as soon as Nov. 25.
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The two changes involve left turns:
(1) No SB US 41 to EB Fruitville Rd - Southbound US 41 traffic will not be able to turn left at Fruitville Rd. This will be in effect throughout much of the year-long construction project.
Recommended detour:
- EB on 10th Street then SB on Lemon Ave. to Fruitville Rd. If you miss 10th Street, the next best opportunity to go eastbound will be Ringling Blvd.
(2) No NB US 41 to WB Boulevard of the Arts - Northbound US 41 traffic to westbound Boulevard of the Arts will be restricted. U-turns will not be permitted. This left turn lane is expected to be restored in late January 2020.
Recommended detour:
- WB on 10th Street then SB on Van Wezel Way to Boulevard of the Arts
Additional note: The left turn eastbound movement coming off the Ringling Bridge and Gulfstream Ave. to northbound US 41 will be reduced from three lanes to two.
Electronic message boards are being strategically placed along US 41 to give drivers advance notice about the traffic changes, which are scheduled to occur late Sunday night. That means the new traffic patterns will be in effect during the Monday morning commute on Nov. 25. Please keep this information in mind and plan your travels accordingly.
The roundabout is being constructed by the Quay Sarasota on behalf of the City of Sarasota in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation to enhance safety and connectivity.
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4.
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Lift Station 87 - Community Meeting 12/5
Significant progress has been made on the Lift S
tation 87 project, and the project team has reached the point where it plans to host a community meeting to discuss the next phase.
In September, construction began on the new two-story brick lift station building, which will be built to withstand the forces of a category 3 hurricane in order to maintain operations at nearby Sarasota Memorial Hospital and other critical facilities. As you pass the construction site in Luke Wood Park, you can see the structure starting to come out of the ground.
For the past year, crews have been working 50 feet underground building the concrete wetwell to get to this stage and the actual construction of the building. This is indeed a milestone! Thank you to all who have worked behind the scenes to reach this phase.
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Lift Station 87 site - Nov. 2019
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While the lift station building is under construction, Phase 3 will begin. This is another critical aspect of the project that will require the temporary closure of Osprey Avenue from Bay St. to Bahia Vista St. from June 2020 to March 2021. This is necessary while sewer mains are installed and utility connections made.
During that time period, residents along Alta Vista St., Osprey Ave., Pomelo Ave. and Pomelo Place can expect active construction in the neighborhood, including heavy machinery, temporary street closures and restricted access. We understand this may be disruptive and inconvenient for those in the area. Our team wants to ensure residents are equipped with the information they need and are prepared for Phase 3, which is why a community meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. at Fire Station #2, 2070 Waldemere St.
During the meeting, the engineer of record and project manager will provide an historical retrospective of the project, why it's needed for the city and what to expect during Phase 3. We want to answer your questions and do what we can to refresh and inform the community before construction begins.
Lift Station 87 will replace Lift Station 7, which has exceeded its useful life expectancy. It is a critical portion of the City's infrastructure handling approximately one-third of the wastewater flowing to the treatment plant with a capacity of 9.5 million gallons per day. When Lift Station 87 comes online, reliability and redundancy will be greatly improved, thereby providing enhanced protections for our precious environment.
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5.
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OHCD Audit - "Exemplary" Review Recently the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted a standard audit of the City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP2) grants for compliance with federal regulations. Both grant programs are administered by our Office of Housing and Community Development, and the findings for our programs and the work of our dedicated staff was declared "exemplary" -- high praise from the feds indeed!
In the review, HUD officials noted, "The City of Sarasota's Office of Housing and Community Development is recognized for exemplary file documentation, financial tracking, and file organization." Additionally, HUD praised the City of Sarasota, stating that the City promotes "valuable programs that are successfully supporting housing and community development activities."
Current CDBG projects include park improvements, home rehabilitation for low-income households and the Myrtle Street improvements. NSP2 funds were put to very good use and resulted in 164 units of housing for low to moderate income households.
Congratulations to OHCD Interim General Manager Cindy Emshoff and her team for this impressive audit and for their dedicated efforts working within complex regulations. Well done!
The Office of Housing and Community Development is a joint office between the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County.
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Office of Housing and Community Development staff. Front: Cherry Haynes, Interim Director Cindy Emshoff, Sue Sanders; Back: Jim Palis, Penny Francis, Kurt Roberson
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6.
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Latest King Thriller + Special Sarasota Connection
With bestselling suspense author Stephen King known to spend time in our beautiful coastal community, it's not too surprising Sarasota is mentioned in his latest psycho thriller 'The Institute'.
But our very own SPD Chief Bernadette DiPino certainly
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"The Institute" mentions SPD
Chief Bernadette DiPino.
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was surprised to learn she's mentioned in the novel specifically by name and her position as the police chief!
A family friend reading the book informed her. Around the same time, a City employee was pleasantly surprised to stumble across the mention as well. How unexpected!
The Chief is honored to be included in the novel, which, from what we hear, is receiving top accolades and living up to the anticipation that surrounds any new work by the king of suspense.
Looks like we have a new novel to add to our growing reading lists during the holidays!
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Van Wezel: Tickets on Sale Now!
Cirque Dreams Holidaze
Friday, Nov. 22
Saturday, Nov. 23
Tickets
Collective Soul
Tuesday, Nov. 26
Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2019
Friday, Nov. 29
Tickets
Sebastian Maniscalco: You Bother Me
Saturday, Nov. 30
Tickets
Celtic Angels Christmas
Escape to Margaritaville
Monday, Dec. 2
Tickets
Tony Bennett: The "I Left My Heart" Tour
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Under the Streetlamp: Hip to the Holidays
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Dec. 13 -15
Tickets
The TEN Tenors - Home for the Holidays
A Christmas Carol
Monday, Dec. 23
Tickets
Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker
Saturday, Dec. 28
Tickets
Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert
Thursday, Jan. 2
Tickets
The Book of Mormon
January 7-12, 2020
Tickets
The Righteous Brothers
Monday, Jan. 13
We've Only Just Begun: Carpenters Remembered
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Tickets
The Naked Magicians
Thursday, Jan. 16
Tickets
The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston
Tuesday, Jan. 21
Tickets
The Drifters, The Platters, and Cornell Gunters Coasters
Wednesday, Jan. 22
Tickets
Steve Martin & Martin Short
Thursday, Jan. 23
Tickets
Louie Anderson and Rita Rudner
Tuesday, Jan. 28
Tickets
Kristen Chenoweth in Concert - For The Girls
Thursday, Jan. 30
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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Weekly Briefs will be on hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday. We hope you enjoy a relaxing day with family and friends and perhaps give thanks for our special city.
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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