Bullock talks Key issues with Republican Club

Town Manager Dave Bullock was the keynote speaker at the Republican Club of Longboat Key’s Jan. 9 meeting at the Longboat Key Club’s Portofino Ristorante & Bar and gave members an update on what to expect on the Key over the next 12 to 24 months.

Beaches
Both New Pass and Longboat Pass will be dredged, and two concrete sand-saving structures are under construction on North Shore Road in front of 360 North condominium. This project will cost $2.5 million but will ultimately save the town money. In June 2011, the town spent $4 million putting sand in the area, and by 2012 all of that sand was gone.

“Instead of putting sand where it keeps washing away, we want these structures in to hold the sand,” Bullock said.

During the offseason, thousands of truckloads of sand will be delivered to the island. This sand will be coarser than the current sand, which the town hopes will prevent it from washing away.

Pipe project
A 42-year-old pipe in Sarasota Bay that has never been shut down or inspected currently pumps the Key’s wastewater to mainland Manatee County. The town is in the planning stages of installing a new pipe, which will be the longest pipe of its size in the world. Permits could take five to 10 years to obtain.

“Currently, there’s no storage and one pipe that carries all the waste,” Bullock said. “If it fails, untreated wastewater will come up in the bay. We don’t know if it’ll last another 20 years or another 20 minutes.”

Underground utilities
Underground utilities are safer, more reliable and more aesthetically pleasing than aboveground utilities, Bullock said. The commission opted not to pursue a March referendum asking voters whether to bury Gulf of Mexico Drive utilities to study the feasibility of burying utilities islandwide. The Longboat Key Town Commission will discuss the issue further in February, and, eventually, it will most likely go before voters.

Key Club referendum
Longoat Key Club owner Ocean Properties seeks to expand with a new hotel of up to 300 rooms. First, voters must approve tourism use for the property, which they will do through the first all-mail ballot in town history in May. The all-mail election will ensure the Key’s registered voters are able to cast ballots even if they aren’t in town.

Town center
Bullock sounded off about a possible town center.

“We want to give the public something they don’t have now,” he said. “We are a community of redevelopment. We want to know how we can encourage people to re-invest in the town and their property.”