News Briefs

+ Prominent Siesta lot again for sale
The 1.9-acre of land north of the Old Salty Dog in Siesta Key Village is for sale for $1,475,000 just two months after RSL Siesta Key Development purchased the lot for $725,500.

Mark Smith, an area architect and president of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, said the uptick in real-estate action on Siesta could be a sign that housing prices are near the lowest they will get, following the recession.

+ County seeks vendors for crosswalk lighting
Sarasota County is trying to gather a group of vendors to demonstrate LED lighting for a potential project to install bollard fixtures on the seven crosswalks in Siesta Key Village. So far, there has been one response from three companies contacted, according to a Ryan Montague, with Sarasota County Traffic Engineering and Operations.

The demo is intended to help county officials decide on the specifications lighting units would need to light the crosswalks efficiently. The firms are not competing for a bid, just demonstrating their products.

A subsidiary of Sarasota-based Sunovia Energy Technologies Inc., called EvoLucia Lighting, was the responding firm. Montague said he plans to contact the remaining two firms through email and phone calls to follow up on the request.

+ Crunch time for school storm prep
Sarasota County School district officials have a “tight window” to update contact lists in preparation for the 2012 hurricane season, said Sarasota County Schools manager of safety and security Darrell Reyka.
The school year in Sarasota County ends June 4, four days after the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, for all students and staff working 186 days of the year. The end of the semester is usually when staff turnover occurs, making it the logical time to refresh contact lists used for hurricane season procedures.
Schools could be done with contact list updates as early as the first week in June, Reyka explained.

Meetings & Agendas
• Siesta Key Village Association monthly meeting — 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, Room F, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key
• Sarasota County Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, R.L. Anderson Administration Building, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice
• Sarasota High School design charrette: public forum — 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 6, Conference Room, Sarasota County Technical Institute, 4748 Beneva Road, Sarasota
• Sarasota High School design charrette: work session — 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, Conference Room, Sarasota County Technical Institute, 4748 Beneva Road, Sarasota
• Siesta Key Association monthly meeting — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, St. Boniface Episcopal, Room F, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key