Observer Updates 06.24.10

+ Park proposal removed from consideration
After an outcry from members of the Harbor Acres and Bay Point Park neighborhoods, the Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Board has taken the proposal for a park at 1150 S. Orange Ave. off the table.

Members of the Hudson Bayou neighborhood requested a park be placed on that property, which they called a wetlands.

The property is a vacant residential lot that sits at the confluence of the three neighborhoods, but is located within the Harbor Acres boundary.

Harbor Acres and Bay Point Park residents were not informed of the park application and complained to city officials.

The parks board responded by removing the application from consideration.

+ Snowy plover nests thrive on Siesta Key
After it discovered last month that people had disturbed two snowy plover nests on Siesta Key, the county closed beach access No. 7 where the nests were found.

One month later, a third nest has been found and three chicks have hatched. Two are 1-month-old and the third is only 1 week old.

Volunteers are manning the beach-access site to prevent people from walking through.

+ The Legacy Trail trestle nears completion
The trestle over Dona Bay, in Nokomis, that connects the northern and southern portions of The Legacy Trail is expected to open by the end of next month.

Currently 85% complete, the railing and other decorative features are the only components that remain to be installed.

The new 393-foot-long pedestrian trestle replaces a wooden train trestle that was closed to the public.

Its 12-foot vertical clearance will allow small boats to pass underneath, while walkers, joggers and bicyclists cross the bay overhead.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held in September.