News Briefs

+ Beach project delayed due to dredge structural issues
Town Manager Bruce St. Denis told the Town Commission in a Jan. 13 e-mail that the north-end beach project will not begin until the middle of February.

The dredge, which was supposed to arrive Jan. 17, has not been certified to sail to Florida yet because steel structures in its bow need to be replaced.

Longboat Key residents on the north end of Longboat Key will notice beach equipment, including tractors, being placed on their beach leading up to the project.

Town staff had been working to receive a permit from FDEP all year, which allows the town to rebuild the entire beach profile, or a 200-foot wide beach that has been swept away from Broadway to north of North Shore Road.

+ Mote begins tours of its seahorse conservation lab
Mote Marine Aquarium now offers tours of its Seahorse Conservation Laboratory.

The tours reveal the threats seahorses face in the wild and information about how Mote breeds them for conservation.

Tours begin at 11 a.m. most Thursdays and last about 45 minutes. Cost is $20 per person. Lab tour prices do not include general admission to Mote Aquarium, which is $17 for adults; $16 for ages 65 and up; $12 for children ages 4 to 12; and free for children 3 and younger.

For information, contact Mote’s group sales department at 388-4441, Ext. 536, or e-mail [email protected].

+ Water pipeline upsizing project completed
The $2.4 million pipeline upsizing project along Gulf of Mexico Drive from Bay Isles Road south to the end of the Key has been completed.

Town engineer Anne Ross told the Longboat Observer the project was completed last month and the contract is being finalized with the contractor this month.

The project involved replacing miles of old asbestos cement water main pipes along Gulf of Mexico Drive.
The project required homeowners in some neighborhoods to have their water shut off while the new pipes were connected.

The town contracted with Palmetto-based Westra Construction Corp. to perform the work, which began in December 2009.

The pipeline project was a component of a water interconnection installed in 2009 between the town and the city of Sarasota’s potable water system. Previously, the town’s only source of potable drinking water was from Manatee County.

The new interconnection from the city of Sarasota will allow the island greater flexibility emergencies.

+ Hazardous waste pickup scheduled for Jan. 29
A household/hazardous-waste collection for barrier-island residents will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Coquina Beach bayside parking access area on Anna Maria Island.

Residents can take advantage of the collection to dispose of solvents and chemicals, batteries and technology equipment such as televisions and computers.

For information, call the Manatee County Utilities Operation Department at 798-6761.

Meetings & agendas
Town Commission Regular Workshop — 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20.
Town Commission Regular Meeting — 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7.
All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.