Payne Park update on future plans: The April 2021 repurposing of part of Payne Park (since resolved) took everyone by surprise. Because of that...I asked Jerry Fogle, Parks Dept Head, for a public presentation on actual plans for Payne Park for, say, the next three years. Mr Fogle replied that maintenance of parks is the only short-term plan, so no public meeting is being scheduled at this time. See Q&A for details regarding short-term plans for Payne Park.
Sarasota Orchestra in Payne Park 3.1: NOT! Sept 9 Observer article reports that Sarasota Orchestra definitively will not be looking to build in Payne Park. (Read about the history of this issue.)
Summer - 2021 Sewer Mains/Laterals Lining You may see trucks about, and fresh green marking paint on manhole covers. The City is continuing its project of relining (instead of digging/replacing) a lot of the old sewer lines, many dating to the 1950s, now in our neighborhood. The process, sequentially: first they jet the lines (like power washing), then run a camera through them to see what they need to see, then they re-line the old pipes. (No, they don't do the pipes that run between the street and each house.) See www.sarasotafl.gov/government/utilities/utility-construction-projects
Ongoing, fall 2021 In the works: new or improved pedestrian crossing markings, refreshed paint striping of existing crosswalks, and signage at various neighborhood intersections. See Traffic Calming for more details.
1 - 5 November Shade Ave closed. At RRtracks; working on Legacy Trail crossing there. Detour is Novus to School to Ringling (or, from the north, Ringling to School to Novus). Expect traffic mess, temporarily.
October 31, 7-10pm Halloween on SLime Ave The folks at Enlightened Monkey Arts again present a fabulous free, family-friendly Halloween walkabout experience, over on South Lime at the cul-de-sac (just south of Ringling Blvd, just east of Lyra apartments). You can wander over to preview some of the sights before halloween night, which will whet your appetite for the full show, with projections & cutting-edge visual media, on Halloween! This is a unique, really cool experience! Details
2021 Sarasota High School construction. They've totally redone the football field: new drainage and artificial turf, and a big new state-of-the-art video scoreboard. Also, they plan to be replacing the asphalt track with improved, rubberized surface. (A little editorial footnote: Once upon a time the School District offered to let local residents use these athletic facilities during summer break; however, with modern security concerns plus alleged constant, year-round school activities, this offer of sharing with the taxpayers has fallen by the wayside.) Also, six new portable classrooms have been put in to accommodate increased number of students.
Summer 2021 Big Drone Sightings! No, not alien spaceships. Rather, FPL is having a contractor survey their overhead electric lines, using drone camera technology, in our neighborhood to see where they need to do tree trimming again.
Thursday October 21, 6:30-8:10pm at SHS Football Stadium: Sarasota High School Homecoming Community Event and Pep Rally. Principal David Jones invites the community to participate! Lots of fun activities, including a rare SHS performance of Thriller (!!!), and fireworks at the end! Free!
Schools News for Fall 2021: Community Day School is relocating from the 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.
New Trash Cans !!! Thanks to Pete Theisen and Concordia Lutheran Church for installing 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!
