County considering additional sidewalk
The county is reportedly considering a petition from Lake Sarasota residents to install a sidewalk along the north side of Lago Way/Lago Road.
This segment formed part of the original sidewalk project that accompanied the waterlines along Jarvis and Lago, but was taken out when a few homeowners objected to having the sidewalk on the North Lago side of the road, according to Pinky Pakalapati, the county's sidewalk manager for the project. The county looked at putting a sidewalk in along the south side of Lago, but it was decided that this would require a potentially dangerous crosswalk for children having to cross Lago before or after school, when the road is heavily trafficked.
The reasons for the homeowners' objection to the northside sidewalk were never openly stated, and the discussion as to the merits of the issue never came up in an open meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group.
Now a new petition calls for the county to install a sidewalk as originally planned that would connect Mauna Loa to Hand Rd. via a continuous sidewalk along the north side of Lago. Because it's on the north side, no dangerous crosswalk would be necessary.
Pakalapati has received the new petition signed by several residents and, according to one of the signers, he has indicated he will move to hold a meeting with the community. If there are no supervening obstacles, and budget and all else permitting, the project could move forward in the relatively near future.
This segment formed part of the original sidewalk project that accompanied the waterlines along Jarvis and Lago, but was taken out when a few homeowners objected to having the sidewalk on the North Lago side of the road, according to Pinky Pakalapati, the county's sidewalk manager for the project. The county looked at putting a sidewalk in along the south side of Lago, but it was decided that this would require a potentially dangerous crosswalk for children having to cross Lago before or after school, when the road is heavily trafficked.
The reasons for the homeowners' objection to the northside sidewalk were never openly stated, and the discussion as to the merits of the issue never came up in an open meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group.
Now a new petition calls for the county to install a sidewalk as originally planned that would connect Mauna Loa to Hand Rd. via a continuous sidewalk along the north side of Lago. Because it's on the north side, no dangerous crosswalk would be necessary.
Pakalapati has received the new petition signed by several residents and, according to one of the signers, he has indicated he will move to hold a meeting with the community. If there are no supervening obstacles, and budget and all else permitting, the project could move forward in the relatively near future.
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