Observe This: Today's Top Stories

City mulls relocation of G. WIZ

→  The city is preparing to sell six of its 10 most prized vacant lots, which include a vacant lot on the Sarasota bayfront.

No real-estate parcel is more valuable to the city than a vacant sliver of property along the bayfront that sits between the Hyatt Regency, Sarasota and the G.WIZ Science Museum along Boulevard of the Arts.

But commissioners decided to hold off on selling the parcel to interested buyers until its staff assesses if G.WIZ officials would be willing to restructure what left of an approximately seven-year lease with the city and consider relocating the science museum to another location in town.

G.WIZ Executive Director Molly Demeulenaere was surprised to hear ... [click here to read on!]

Library design echoes community center

→  The new Gulf Gate Library preliminary designs reflect the changing nature of libraries today and incorporate citizens’ input.

Sarasota County residents could be enjoying a new state-of-the-art Gulf Gate Library by the end of 2013. Sarabeth Kalajian, director of the Sarasota County Library System, says the library is ready for an upgrade.

Today, she said, libraries are more than just a place to check out a book. People visit libraries to take classes, hold meetings, use technology labs and more. Based on circulation rate alone, the Gulf Gate library is the busiest in the county, and designs for the new library reflect this, as well as the popularity of features seen in other libraries.

“Gulf Gate is bursting at the seams in essentially every aspect,” said Kalajian.  ... [click here to read on!]

Sarasota County: $380 million in water-service debt

 →  County staff provided commissioners with an update last week of the county’s water system as a facility expansion is planned.

Sarasota County commissioners were given a broad-based look at the county’s water system last week as they prepare to take on a $40 million expansion of its 24,000-acre Carlton Water Treatment Facility.

Theresa Connor, Sarasota County director of environmental utilities, told commissioners at their March 28 regular meeting their water program has evolved from weather and drought patterns.

“We are trying to learn from the past and manage weather patterns better,” Connor said.

Although Connor said the county water program is ... [click here to read on!]

Businesses prepare for hopping Easter weekend

 → The Easter Bunny's timing is just right this year for local hotels and motels that are prepping for one of the busiest holiday weekends in recent years.

The Easter Bunny will bring more than eggs and candy when he hops through town this Sunday, April 8: He’ll deliver a full crowd of tourists and visitors to local hotels and motels during what is typically one of season’s busiest weekends.

It turns out the Easter Bunny’s timing is good this year: Last year, the holiday came two weeks later, creating a lull in post-spring break traffic during the first two weeks of April.

Karen Rangel, regional director of sales at Ocean Properties Ltd., which owns the Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort, Lido Beach Resort and Holiday Inn Lido Beach, said that the holiday’s timing means ... [click here to read on!]