Fri Oct 31, 7-10pm, HALLOWEEN ON SLIME AVE : Madam Dementia's Fairytales for the Underworld.  This is THE local place to stop by for a really cool Halloween experience! Free, family-friendly one-of-a-kind event. Outside 133 South Lime Avenue (just south of Ringling Blvd, or you might park in front of Lyra apts & wander across).  Brought to you by the artists of Enlightened Monkey Arts  

Alderman MURT The new trail across the south edge of Payne Park is open (Aug 2025), with new East Ave park entrance (very near Publix) with water fountain, benches & shelter, trash can!, & a bike repair station.  This is a City initiative, not County (Legacy Trail is County).  For maintenance issues, Erik Isern, Capital Projects Manager with Public Works, says that for trash can overflow issues, contact Parks & Rec., and also that Parks staff should be doing the regular mowing of this area.  See Alderman MURT page for details.  In conjunction, in the future, East Ave will be repaved to include a walkway, and a pedestrian crossing light will be installed on Washington Blvd to cross to Brother Geenan Way!!!  Also, speaking of Payne Park news,  Parks Dept HAS vacated the Auditorium, so Players Theater renovations can thence commence when they are ready.  Also, New Cafe:  a new vendor, La Cruton, is scheduled to open in the old cafe site by end of 2025.

Mon Oct 27, 7pm, at YMCA on Euclid & Bahia Vista,  AVNA meeting.  Guest speaker:  Fayth Jenkins, Principal of Innovation Academy SRQ (previously Suncoast School for Innovative Studies). See AVNA Facebook 

School Zone automatic traffic speed cameras are up and running now!  Speed enforcement cameras in Safety Zones on school days, near Sarasota High and Alta Vista Elementary; they WILL automatically ticket you ($100) if you speed in the posted school zones.  Speeders beware!

NEXT AVNA MEETING  Mon, Sep 29, 7pm, @YMCA.  Guest speaker:  Meredith McArthur, Principal of Alta Vista Elementary School.  See AVNA page and/or AVNA Facebook page 

Tuesday August 19  FDOT public meeting, 5-7pm, Selby Library:  Future Repaving US301/Washington Blvd between Mound Street and 10th Street.   Early design phase of project.  Project includes adding a pedestrian crossing light at South Payne Parkway, a.k.a. Alderman Street, across to Senior Friendship Center, north side of that pedestrian-horrible Mound/Washington intersection..  More info, see FDOT website at https://www.swflroads.com/project/451017-1

Monday August 18 City Commission Mtg 9am City Hall:   County plans to build a new Criminal Judicial Center (currently next door to the jail) on Ringling Blvd.  Considering two alternate sites nearby.

MORE Tree opportunities; June 2025 update: The City announced another round of two programs providing incentives for residents to green up our neighborhood, one to get subsidized, large trees, and one to get you a small free tree from ArborDay Foundation.  See Trees page  for details.

The Euclid Canal  Some details all about our local Euclid Canal, Hudson Bayou, and things stormwater-related, including Further Reading.  July 2025:  Sarasota County formed new Stormwater Department.  See 7/2/25 Observer article.

Monday August 11  School Starts.  Be prepared for heavy traffic, on Bahia Vista, School Ave, Shade, Hatton & Euclid!

June 18, 9am, City Hall:  DRC (Development Review Committee) Midtown Plaza project.    See City Agendas site for background documents.  (DRC meetings are technical evaluations of details of planned project; public is welcome to listen but no public comments at this venue.)   See Midtown Plaza page for details.

Thurs May 29 = last day of school year AND Sarasota High commencement. 

Friday, April 25 & Saturday, April 26, 2025 9am-4pm, Free Tree Giveaway* at The Bay park.
So much of Alta Vista is, sadly, fairly bare of canopy trees. Here's a good opportunity to get yourself a young tree, start greening up our 'hood! The City of Sarasota‘s Tree Give-Away program, funded by the City’s Tree Mitigation Fund, from Tree Removal Permit fees, is giving out 100 trees: young live oak, green buttonwood, simpson's stoppers, gumbo limbos (my favorite!), bald cypress and some other species (*while supplies last, with proof of City residency).

Fri April 18, 5-8pm, Payne Park:  Good Friday Festival and Easter Egg Hunt.  Downtown Baptist Church hosts, with  Free Food, Live Music, speech by Tim Tebow.  ​For more information see www.firstsarasota.org/events

Sumday April 13:  Second Sundays at the SAM.  Did you know that on the Second Sunday of each month the Sarasota Art Museum (SAM) (the old Sarasota High School building on Tamiami Trail) hosts free admission days, with special activities for kids and adults alike.  Check it out!

Payne Park construction Feb-Mar-Apr?: many sidewalk sections being replaced around walking track; watch for temporarily fenced-off areas; use caution.

Monday March 10th AVNA Social Mixer 6 p.m. at Shamrock Neighborhood Pub 2257 Ringling Blvd
One FREE BEER per attendee! Come meet your neighbors. Only agenda is to socialize!

Thurs, March 6, 5.30pm neighborhood meeting with City Commissioner at Large Jen Ahearn-Koch, who wants to know what is on constituents' minds. At AVNA Treasurer Maureen's home; two three two five Wood St.

Feb 24 & Feb 25: Temple Beth Sholom Apartment development project Neighborhood Presentations. Joel Freedman will be presenting on this proposed 270-unit apartment building project, at corner Tuttle & Bahia Vista, at AVNA meeting Mon Feb 24, 7pm, YMCA, and at APNA (Arlington Park) meeting Tues Feb 25, 6pm, Arlington Park Gym. Bring your questions and comments! For more info see Temple Beth Sholom Apartments page.

Fri & Sat Feb 7 & 8 Concordia Rummage Sale: Legendary annual ummage sale, wide variety of good stuff, great prices, good fun, for good cause. Concordia Lutheran Church, corner Wood St & School Av.

TRASH UPDATE: We are done (Dec 20) with hurricane(s) debris pickups. Reminder: regular yard waste must be placed in trash cans or PAPER yard waste bags; no plastic bags anymore, for anything. Also, for bulk items, they will take only one item; for big piles (i.e. for move-outs) you must call the City for a special pickup; fees apply. Remaining or recurring piles out front of your home may result in Code Compliance issues from the City. City Solid Waste Dept is 941-263-6170.

Wed, Feb 5, 9am, City Hall, Development Review Committee meeting: Temple Beth Sholom Apartment development project    Application Documents here (large), in two portions; the second portion pp 1-181 of 202 pages pertain solely to tree analysis.  Remember, DRC meetings are public for observation only, with no public comment portion.

MPO 2025: On Jan 6, 2025 City Commission Meeting agenda, discussion of Metropolitan Planning Organization short- and long-term priorities for road, street, sidewalk, paths projects.  This is annual PLANNING for projects, which may change from year to year; most are not a done deal at this stage.  In our neighborhood, items to note are the Shade Ave complete streets project, a pedestrian crossing of US301/Washington Blvd at Alderman Street, and traffic signal improvements at many intersections (i.e. on Bahia Vista).  Read the full draft document.  

2024-2026  SHS construction alert:  Hatton Street
Notice all the orange Gilbane fencing along Hatton Street; that shell lot west of Shade (across from the batting cage), plus the grass field east of Shade. Using it for staging materials & equipment, worker parking, and other construction needs, for the major renovation of buildings at Sarasota High, East Campus: new HVAC (air conditioning) system. Expected to take 2+? years. No, nothing's being "built" there, just construction staging.

Speaking of responsibilities of residents, did you know that residents are required to maintain the public right-of-way between their front yard and the street, including sidewalk:  keeping abutting sidewalk (if there is one) clear of debris, weeds, sand, and overgrown/overhanging vegetation.  Also, you cannot park your car so that it obstructs a public sidewalk!  (Does this really need to be pointed out?)

April 2024 Local Construction / Traffic Alert . Continuing into April FPL contractors continue replacing/upgrading power poles & wires (on School Av, Wood, Shade, etc.). Temporary street closures and traffic detours occur as work progresses; watch for big orange signs.