News Briefs

+ Election day is Nov. 4
Voting hours for the 2014 general election are 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Longboat Key residents who live in Manatee County vote at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive; Sarasota County voters cast their ballots at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.

+ Longboat Library announces winter hours, book sale
The Longboat Library, 555 Bay Isles Road, will switch to its winter schedule Nov. 1. Winter hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

The library is also holding a November book sale. Prices range from 50 cents for paperbacks to $4 for recent bestsellers, although most titles cost $1.

Now beginning its 58th season, the private library is staffed entirely by volunteers. Memberships are $25 annually or $40 for patron status. Lifetime membership is $350.

For information, call 383-2011.

+ Town replacing Manatee County drinking water pipe
The town is currently in the process of replacing one of two drinking water pipes for its Manatee County side.

The two existing pipes date back to the 1970s and 1980s and are both “very vulnerable” due to their age, according to Assistant Town Manager Anne Ross.

Work will continue for at least two months on the $2.2 million project.

+ Longboat Pass Bridge span malfunctions
On Oct. 24, the bridge tender of the Longboat Pass Bridge noticed the bridge was spinning.

At 3:45 p.m., workers from Florida Department of Transportation evaluated the bridge and found a 2.9-inch gap between the drawbridge and concrete part of the bridge. FDOT continued to monitor the bridge, and by Oct. 25, the gap had widened to 4 inches. A normal gap between a span and the roadway is 1.5 inches.

The bridge is currently stuck in the down position, but it is stable and is safe and open to traffic.

+ New recycling bins headed to a driveway near you
On Nov. 3, residents will see new recycling bins in their driveways as part of the town’s transition to single-stream recycling from dual-stream recycling.

Waste Management will replace the current red and blue bins with blue 65-gallon wheeled carts Monday, following collection. The single-stream method will allow customers to place all recycling items in one cart, eliminating the need for sorting materials.

For information, call Waste Management at 753-7591.

Meetings & agendas
Bayfront Park open house — 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Longboat Key Town Commission regular meeting — 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3

Longboat Key Code Enforcement Board meeting — 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10

All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, unless otherwise noted.