News Briefs

+ Osprey Avenue closure not to start until Jan. 16
The city of Sarasota has announced that Osprey Avenue between Mound Street and Brother Geenan Way will remain open until Monday, Jan. 16, 2012.

The city recently had announced Osprey Avenue would be closed temporarily, beginning Nov. 28, to coordinate off-site repair work on Gulfstream Avenue, but that closure has been rescheduled to begin Jan. 16, for 60 days.

Local traffic only will be allowed between Brother Geenan Way and Ringling Boulevard once the work gets under way, according to a news release.

The closure is necessary to enable crews to install a forcemain as part of the construction of the new lift station in nearby Luke Wood Park.

The detour route will be Ringling Boulevard to U.S. 301 for southbound traffic and Mound Street to Orange Avenue for northbound traffic. Message boards will be posted in the vicinity to notify drivers about the detour.

All area stakeholders are being encouraged to sign up for electronic project and schedule updates at www.sarasotagov.com/OALP_Utility_Project, Osprey Avenue/Lukewood Park Utility Project.

+ Teen Driver Challenge offered for two weekends
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has announced teens with either learner’s licenses or driver’s licenses may register for one of the office’s upcoming Teen Driver Challenges, to be held Dec. 2-3 and Dec. 9-10.

The free, two-day, 12-hour course provides teenagers additional experience behind the wheel. Youth Services deputies conduct the training, which includes classroom instruction and a full day on a driving range. At the end of the course, drivers receive certificates of completion, which may qualify them for insurance discounts.

The Friday night portion of the Dec. 2-3 session will be at Sarasota County Technical Institute, at Beneva and Proctor roads, Sarasota; the Saturday training, on the driving range, will be at North Port High School.
Both parts of the Dec. 9-10 session will be at North Port High.

Students interested in participating may call 927-4190 or visit www.sarasotasheriff.org. On the website, click on “Public Interest,” then “Youth Programs,” then “Teen Driver Challenge.”

Meetings & agendas
• Siesta Key Association — 4:30 p.m. Dec. 1, St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Room F, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key.
• Siesta Key Village Association — 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key.
• Criminal Justice Commission — noon Dec. 5, Administration Building, Third Floor Think Tank, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
• Sustainable Sarasota Community Partnership — 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 5, Administration Building, Second Floor A/B Conference Room, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
• County Commission — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 6, R.L. Anderson Center, Commission Chambers, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7, Administration Building, Commission Chambers, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
• Florida Department of Transportation — 5 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 5394 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, to discuss the proposal on pedestrian islands on a 1-mile stretch of Midnight Pass Road.