City prepares search for Lido Pool upgrades

For the past three years, Carl Shoffstall has been pushing to make the Lido Pool and pavilion a destination for residents and tourists. Now, the city is close to taking a significant step toward realizing his goals.

In 2011, city staff noted Lido Pool was a drain on revenue, losing about $100,000 that year. Staff proposed cutting expenses by closing the pool for half of the year, but Shoffstall and other Lido residents saw the situation differently. Shoffstall, president of the Lido Key Residents Association, said the pool was an undervalued asset that was being improperly managed.

Shoffstall led the residents association’s Lido Pool committee, which made a presentation to the Sarasota City Commission in 2012. The group recommended upgrading the facilities to increase revenues.

Suggested enhancements included a rental pavilion, an event room for private parties, a splash pad and a tiki bar.

The city is now in the process of finalizing an invitation to negotiate, a process that will seek a party interested in implementing improvements at the pool. Todd Kucharski, the city’s general manager of public works, said staff should have the invitation finished within a few weeks, at which point they will review it with the neighborhood association to make sure their needs are properly addressed.

The invitation to negotiate will not hold interested parties to a specific set of improvements, instead allowing those who respond to present a vision for the pool that will then be evaluated by city staff. In addition to any upgrades, the city is seeking a group interested in taking on the responsibility of managing the pool.

Shoffstall said the specifics of the project, at this point, are out of his hands. Still, he said he was hopeful that the residents association’s wishes would be acted upon.

“Now, it’s all a matter of what a proposer is going to say they will do,” Shoffstall said.

Shoffstall is certain that Lido Pool could become a revenue generator for the city, a belief several commissioners shared during the 2012 presentation.

“I walk the beach every day and talk to quite a few tourists that come down, and they’d like to see the improvements,” Shoffstall said.

The city is close to issuing the invitation to negotiate, but it’s still uncertain when improvements at the pool might begin.

“That’s something to be discussed when the person is selected,” Kucharski said. “I know the community wants it sooner than later.”

To that point, Shofstall agreed wholeheartedly.

“It’s time to update that facility,” Shoffstall said. “It’s been neglected for so long.”

Contact David Conway at [email protected]