News Briefs

+ Fence replacement delayed at Treasure Boat
The manufacturer of the wrought-iron fence that will replace the damaged wooden fence along Ocean Boulevard near the Treasure Boat Way intersection has encountered a delay and will not be able to ship the new fence before Halloween, county officials reported.

Instead, the contractor will remove the small pickets between the posts of the wooden fence “and install a more aesthetically pleasing ‘temporary’ fencing (this week) to render it safe for the public,” Gary Spraggins, the Mobility Infrastructure Department employee who has been overseeing Village upkeep, emailed county officials Oct. 21.

“(The contractor) is going to get that wooden fence all fixed up nice and pretty for us” before Halloween, Tom Maroney Sarasota County general manager of business operations and public works, told the Pelican Press. “(He) is feeling very distraught over this.”

Village merchants had requested the new fence go in before Halloween, so youngsters participating in the Key’s Safe Treats event Oct. 31 would not be endangered by walking past the wooden fence that has been vandalized numerous times over the past year. That fence separates pedestrians from a drainage ditch.

Spraggins reported that county staff had made numerous calls to other suppliers to determine whether a suitable alternative to the wrought-iron fence was available, “and (they) ran into the same situation due to the hardware needed; it is not something normally stocked and has to be manufactured.”
The county would incur no additional cost for the temporary fencing, Spraggins wrote in the email.

+ Siesta beach discussion delayed until Nov. 9
The Sarasota County Commission originally was scheduled this week to receive a staff update regarding scheduling and payment options for the planned improvements at Siesta Public Beach. That discussion has been postponed until Nov. 9, the Pelican Press learned.

“We didn’t get all the paperwork done” in time to get on the commission’s Oct. 25 agenda, Project Manager Spencer Anderson told the Pelican Press.

County commissioners Sept. 14 had asked Anderson and Interim Administrator Terry Lewis to look into the possibility of hastening the timeline for the beach project, with the possibility of the county’s using bond revenue to complete all the work as quickly as 18 months after it begins.

“We’re just trying to put the contract details together for the design,” Anderson told the Pelican Press last week.

In the meantime, Anderson said he is proceeding with planning for the stormwater drainage project at the beach, which county staff has said is its top priority. Staff in the past had voiced worries about losing a $1 million grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District to cover half the cost of the project. However, Anderson said last week that he had been working with SWFWMD officials to keep the funds; an application for a grant extension was one option, if necessary.

“We’ve done everything we can to make sure we can use the funds SWFWMD has set aside for this project,” he added.

During the Sept. 14 County Commission meeting, Anderson had reported that he had worked out details with Gulf & Bay Club residents about the siting of the proposed stormwater pond adjacent to their property. No new problems had arisen with the condominium complex residents since September, Anderson told the Pelican Press last week.

Meetings & agendas
• Siesta Key Village Association — 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key.
• Sarasota Partnership for Children — 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2200 Ringling Blvd., Suite 226, Sarasota.
• Siesta Key Association — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Room F, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key.