Meetings will address Bayfront Park, town codes

The public is invited to three meetings in the next month that will address two issues that could impact the long-term future of Longboat Key: uses of Bayfront Park Recreation Center and the possibility of adopting stricter property maintenance codes.

The first recreation center meeting will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. Attendees will have the chance to review a master-concept plan that residents developed in 2009 with the town and Sarasota County, give feedback and confirm program elements and floor plans. The second meeting is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, and will provide the opportunity for further input and discussion.Representatives of Wannemacher Jensen Architects, the company selected to develop a prospectus plan for a potential community center, will be present at the meetings, both of which will take place at Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

“The town has been discussing how a new community center cannot only provide recreation and learning opportunities but also how this facility could become a social center for the residents,” Longboat Key Public Works Director Juan Florensa wrote in an email. “The town would like to hear comments from everyone as we move forward with this community-wide project.”

According to Town Planner Steve Schield, the code workshop will take place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road. The town is sending out letters to condominium and homeowners associations this week to notify them of the meeting.

Discussions of changes to town code arose last fall after town staff told the Longboat Key Town Commission that they frequently hear concerns about issues that are outside the scope of current town codes, such maintenance of parking lots, swimming pools, doors and windows, along with landscaping issues. The commission could eventually choose to strengthen its codes or adopt the International Property Maintenance Code, which addresses many issues.

Former Longboat Key Code Enforcement Officer Ben Bailey, who now works for the city of Fort Myers, which has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code, will speak at the meeting.

“These issues can be pretty tricky,” Schield told the Longboat Key Code Enforcement Board at its Jan. 9 meeting. “One person’s garden is another person’s jungle.”

On the agenda
Bayfront Park Recreation Center meetings
When: 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Monday, Feb. 6
Where: Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Contact: Mark Richardson at
316-1988

Code Workshop
When: 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24
Where: Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road
Contact: Longboat Key Planning Zoning & Building Department,
316-1966