The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Dear Lake, Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at  communityconnections@scgov. net.     New oral history project presented Jan. 30 TODAY:  Come see - and hear - the 2014 Sarasota Oral History Project presentations, "Celebrating Our Water Heritage," Thursday, Jan. 30, at  6 p.m. at New College of Florida. 'Muck City' author comes to Sarasota TODAY:  Meet the author of "Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town" Jan. 30 and 31. The program is free and open to the public.  Fire Fest wraps up Fire Awareness Week SATURDAY :  In recognition of Florida's "Prescribed Fire Awareness Week" Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 , the county is hosting Fire Fest 2014 on  Saturday, Feb. 1 . SCAT tests new pilot route serving Pinecraft SCAT will operate a pilot route from  Feb. 1 to May 2  to test rider demand for bus servic

The January 16th Brainstorming Meeting (of the Lake Sarasota Community Group) produced some doable project ideas. Folks also clarified what purpose any such project is about. It's really about contributing in any way we can to the 1,600-home community we call home. Here's the thinking: If you own or rent a house here, then Lake Sarasota matters to you. If bad things happen, chances are the value of your property will sink. If good things happen -- because people care -- the value of the neighborhood will rise, not just in Realtors' eyes, but in the eyes of all of us. Here are the ideas that came up at our January Brainstorming meeting. The one we have committed to putting into action is the March Neighborhood Garage Sale. The rest will depend upon support from you -- not necessarily money, but a bit of your time and energy. UPDATE: Take a moment after reading this to use the POLL at the right tell us which one or two projects matter most to you. It will be open fo

Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at  communityconnections@scgov. net.     Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library celebrates 20th anniversary FRIDAY :  The yearlong celebration kicks off with a reception  Friday, Jan. 24, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. , and continues  Saturday, Jan. 25 , from  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. , with activities for the entire family. All the festivities will be held at Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library in Venice. Winter Arts and Crafts Show returns to Englewood Sports Complex SATURDAY :  Sarasota County Parks and Recreation will hold a Winter Arts and Crafts Show  Saturday, Jan. 25, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. , at the Englewood Sports Complex. New oral history project presented  Jan. 30 Come see - and hear - the 2014 Sarasota Oral History Project presentations, "Celebrating Our Water Heritage,"  Thursday, Jan. 30 , at  6 p.m.  at New College

A Community-Wide Garage Sale set for Sat. March 29th! See our Facebook Page  for details.

Click on the image to see it in full: Source: TopMastersInEducation.com

Dear Lake, Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at  communityconnections@scgov. net.     Barefoot Beach Bazaars begin SATURDAY:  The Barefoot Beach Bazaar season at Nokomis Beach begins  Saturday, Jan. 18 . This is the first of four events that will take place the third Saturday of January through April at the Nokomis Beach Plaza. County offices close for Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Many Sarasota County offices will be closed  Monday, Jan. 20 , for the national observance celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Here is a complete list of openings and closings. Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library celebrates 20th anniversary The yearlong celebration kicks off with a reception  Friday, Jan. 24, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. , and continues  Saturday, Jan. 25 , from  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. , with activities for the entire family. All the festivities will be held at Fra

The Lake Sarasota Crime Report by Ted Coverr for 12.13 The Dec. 2013 Sheriff's Dept. Crime Report for Lake Sarasota reports a total of seven incidents:  one vandalism, two burglaries, and four thefts (two AUTO and two UNKNOWN). The single act of Vandalism occurred Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7150 Lago St., reported at  7:27 a.m. The two burglaries occurred three days apart, Monday, Dec. 2 and Wednesday, Dec. 5, and were at:             6515 Mauna Loa Blvd. (12/2, reported  5:28 p.m. )             7214 Java Dr.  (12/5, reported 7:01 p.m.) The four thefts occurred as follows:         Fri., Dec. 6   7004 Jarvis Rd. (AUTO, reported 7:50 a.m.)         Fri., Dec. 20 3975 Coleridge Dr. (AUTO, reported 11:51 a.m.)         Sat., Dec. 28 7033 Mauna Loa Blvd. (UNKNOWN, reported 11:51 a.m.)         Mon., Dec. 30 4052 Vana Dr. (UNKNOWN, reported 11:50 a.m.) With seven incidents, it's difficult to pick up a pattern.  The four thefts were discovered and reporte

Status report on Bee Ridge Road project An update on several aspects of the Bee Ridge Road Project from the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee: This article is being written on 1/11/2014 and only reflects information available at that time. Current work Projects Recently, “Start work 1/8/2014” signs went up on Bee Ridge. Those signs have nothing to do with the Bee Ridge widening project. They are related to the FDOT work that has now begun at the I-75 interchange. That project calls for repaving under I-75 and the addition of a sidewalk on the South side of Bee Ridge from the beginning of the State responsibility to Cattleman road. The side walk will connect to side walk being placed by the County under the Bee Ridge project. The FDOT project is scheduled for 120 days, dependent on weather. The sidewalk was not on the FDOT schedule until after 2108, but due to the efforts of the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee, the work is being done now. Verizon is placing conduit on the S

The Lake Sarasota Community Group (LSCG), an all-volunteer organization, has scheduled a special meeting in January to plan an event, work on a grant, and organize a community garage sale. The special meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 16th at 7 pm in meeting room 105 at Sarasota Alliance Church, 7221 Bee Ridge Road. The meeting will combine three initiatives: An Event, a Grant and a Garage Sale. 1. To plan a community-wide event to be held in February or March. Ideas include a party in Lakeview Park that could include kayaking and paddle-boarding demos, disc golf, and possibly some dog training experts.  2. To brainstorm for a Neighborhood Grant of up to $10,000 to be used for community-building and beautification. Ideas include an ecological walk from Mauna Loa to Lakeview School, with a Community Bulletin board; purchase and plant some additional trees in the Mauna Loa median; consider other events and amenities that would benefit the community. All ideas are welcom