UPCOMING MEETINGS, & NOTICES & HAPPENINGS
PAYNE PARK INCURSION? breaking news (Apr10)...
An acre or so of Payne Park, near and including the Auditorium, is being permanently fenced off (black chainlink fencing). I was told that the City Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection is moving some of their staff offices into the auditorium, from current digs up at Robert Taylor. The fenced site, removed from public use, is at the west part of the park, including the Auditorium, and goes from the work shed almost to the duck pond area, between the walking path and the cattail marsh. Apparently (not yet confirmed) their cars and trucks fleet will relocate here too... Nothing on the Parks website, but I notice now that the Payne Park Auditorium, on the website, is marked as closed, and is no longer featured on City website as a public amenity.
Pro: Payne Park may get more attention now, with Parks dept on-site. Better use of money-losing auditorium???
Con: parkland removed from public use. Some repurposed as parking lot; is this a pollution runoff issue for this area, which drains directly into ponds? Also, a blemished view for park users, of a field of cars and trucks behind a chainlink fence!
Wed, Apr 15, 5pm at City Hall, next PREP (Parks, Rec & Envir Protection) board meeting.
An acre or so of Payne Park, near and including the Auditorium, is being permanently fenced off (black chainlink fencing). I was told that the City Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection is moving some of their staff offices into the auditorium, from current digs up at Robert Taylor. The fenced site, removed from public use, is at the west part of the park, including the Auditorium, and goes from the work shed almost to the duck pond area, between the walking path and the cattail marsh. Apparently (not yet confirmed) their cars and trucks fleet will relocate here too... Nothing on the Parks website, but I notice now that the Payne Park Auditorium, on the website, is marked as closed, and is no longer featured on City website as a public amenity.
Pro: Payne Park may get more attention now, with Parks dept on-site. Better use of money-losing auditorium???
Con: parkland removed from public use. Some repurposed as parking lot; is this a pollution runoff issue for this area, which drains directly into ponds? Also, a blemished view for park users, of a field of cars and trucks behind a chainlink fence!
Wed, Apr 15, 5pm at City Hall, next PREP (Parks, Rec & Envir Protection) board meeting.
New Trash Cans !!! Thanks to Pete Theisen and Concordia Lutheran Church for installing two handsome new trash cans along the School Ave sidewalk near Wood Street! Litter in our neighborhood is a big problem in certain areas; having convenient trash cans helps!
Schools News for Fall 2021: Community Day School will be moving out of Temple Beth Sholom campus (at Tuttle and Bahia Vista) to their new location over on Wilkinson. New K-5 dual-language English-Spanish charter school Dreamers Academy will open at Beth Sholom campus. Applications open now.
Ringling Trail (Ringling Blvd Complete Streets project). On Feb 1 2021 the City Commission voted unanimously in favor of this project (Agenda Item X.1 Discussion Re: Ringling Trail and Concept Plan Approval). See Ringling Trail page for additional details plus link to City Commission documents and meeting video.
New Downtown Cooling Plant: this is the Sarasota County construction project on School Ave. near Ringling Blvd; this replaces the old, outdated A/C plant for these buildings, and will provide A/C to multiple nearby Sarasota County buildings. CIP #83304, est. completion Sept 2021.
Upcoming... SHS (Sarasota High School) new perimeter re-fencing. Originally projected (summer 2019) for completion by August 2020, the March 2021 update from School District has District currently working with contractor on work schedule. Current projection is that refencing will be done in sections, possibly some in Aug/Sep 2021. Watch for further info...
GET YOURSELF IN THE CITY NEWS PIPELINE!
In case you ever wondered how to keep up with City news, a few good sources for City news are:
- City webpage news tab: features the list of recent news item announcements.
- City list of upcoming public meetings. Includes agenda items and links to backup documents. Scroll down for archives of past public meetings, including always-essential detailed backup documents.
- Mayor's Update: comprehensive weekly email which also includes upcoming City meetings with links to agendas. Sign up to receive this and/or other communications from City at https://www.sarasotafl.gov/services/email-subscriptions
In case you ever wondered how to keep up with City news, a few good sources for City news are:
- City webpage news tab: features the list of recent news item announcements.
- City list of upcoming public meetings. Includes agenda items and links to backup documents. Scroll down for archives of past public meetings, including always-essential detailed backup documents.
- Mayor's Update: comprehensive weekly email which also includes upcoming City meetings with links to agendas. Sign up to receive this and/or other communications from City at https://www.sarasotafl.gov/services/email-subscriptions
