10,000 Plus Milestone! - Late last week the number of visits to this blog since December when a counter was added hit 10,000. My thanks to everyone who has participated in this experiment in "local government direct". I know this tool doesn't necessarily reach everyone in town, but it seems to be useful to some - perhaps many. Thanks for reading and for sharing your opinions.
posted by Michael McNees at 9:42 AM
6 Comments:
Congratulations on the milestone.
On the web site subject, maybe you can answer why the official City of Sarasota web site would link to a local real estate agent's commercial site under the category "Beaches" instead of the Sarasota County official site for beach information? Or, provide that information on sarasotagov.com itself for City of Sarasota beaches. (I was searching to find out whether grills are allowed on Lido Beach and obviously the minimal info on the real estate agent's site doesn't have that.) I haven't contacted the city web site administrators via the web site as previous contacts and questions via that route have gone unanswered.
Good question. I just went to that "Beaches" page, and didn't have too much of a problem with it until I clicked on the "Real Estate" button, and went to the referral - at that point I agree with you, we'll have to create a better link.
Between the County's site, that has all the info on beaches, including rules, contacts for shelter rentals, etc. and the CVB site, I think you have a couple of choices.
Congratulations!
I think your leadership has contributed to many wonderful things going on with our city, including your last observations about the policies/politics the city commissioners seem to be overriding/overstepping. You put it more diplomatically than that but I think that was the idea.
It seems as if the city commissioners feel they "know" more than our hired employees, experts and citizens. I keep wondering when these commissioners will wake up and realize they have been scammed by the Pineapple Square developers? Am I wrong in my memory when John Simon sat at the commission table, somehow speaking some reasons he deserved all he is being given, and promising the construction will start immediately! I guess again, I see things different than that developer because immediately or this week does not mean several months later and still going. It continues to baffle me how we can be giving away so much of the people money, land and time to this developer.
I guess my question is, when do they start construction as they promised during the meeting our commissioners gave them the State Street Parking lot?
(okay, the city gave the developer the 11 million dollars State Street lot, city owned property, for 1 million dollars and air rights to build parking in their development, which consultants stated does not have enough parking for their tenants, on land the city can never own and the lease for the land will expire in 80 years, in addition the city has to allocate many of those city spaces to the church for a deal the developer promised. Sounds like a good deal commission.)
Dale - I don't think there's much probability for a rush to approve a specific design on Wednesday. Reconnecting the bayfront is, as you point out, one of the objectives of the master plan, and perhaps an overpass is part of the answer. My reaction to the structure being proposed was that it seemed very large and intense for the location. I put the idea of a design contest out there some time ago, which is something the City of Naples did a little while ago in facing a similar issue at their "Four Corners" intersection. As I recall they offered cash prizes for the best concept from a design professional and the best from an amateur. I wasn't able to generate much interest, but it could well be that I didn't run the idea up enough flagpoles. One curiosity I have is why some find it so difficult to gross 41 as it is now. While I easily understand the issue for older residents, or prhaps someone with small children who have to move slowly, for the majority of people the light does change, the cars stop, and a crossing can be made (and I too spend a fair amount of time in that area on foot.) I do easily understand the aesthetic negatives of so much traffic there, perhaps as this discussion moves forward those who recognize that issue will speak up a bit more than they have in earlier conversations, subsequent to the adoption of the plan that is.
Darren - my point regarding our processes was fairly simply to suggest that we could all, as an organization, agree to reaffirm our commitment to them. In our business we engage in a constant, relentless tug-of-war between how long it takes government to do things, people's related frustrations, and the very legitimate legal and public policy issues that make things take time. I promise you that rarely does a week go by that some citizen, be it a builder, neighborhood activist, business owner, or just someone pulling a minor permit doesn't want us to expedite, fast-track, short-cut, simplify, or in some way lessen the burden imposed on them by some law, policy, or procedure. The only thing we get hollered at for more for than being too flexible is for refusing to be flexible at all. So it's always a balancing act, and it imposes a responsibility that we as staff take very seriously. I believe that the Commission does as well, as their comments during our discussion generally illustrated.
I can't answer for the Pineapple Square timetable, nor can I argue with your recollection that we would see work begin "tomorrow."
Resident - Thanks for your (and your friends') perspective, I know it is shared by many. The energy around this issue seems to have shifted somewhat, when it was last discussed the dominant voice was from those who had preserving traffic flow as the highest objective. Whatever one thinks of the "overpass" proposal that's being shown to the City Commission tonight (July 5), its emergence may push the whole conversation about connecting the bayfront onto the front burner.
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