The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Dear Neighbor, Let's talk about grants, baby. Has your neighborhood received one? We're ramping up for Cycle 30 - that's right, THIRTY! The Neighborhood Initiative Grant Program has been offering two cycles per year for fifteen years. There have been over $1.25 million in funds awarded to homeowners associations, condominium associations, mobile home associations, and ad hoc neighborhood partnerships; encompassing projects that address neighborhood character, leadership, safety, environment and health. If you would like to learn more about this matching grant program, the coming month is full of opportunities. On May 30, we will host a Grant Share-shop featuring the completed Pine Run Association project (Cycle 26) that removed invasive plant species from natural habitat area. The Share-shop will be presented at Gulf Gate Library from 4:00pm - 5:00pm. Grant Workshops, which are mandatory for establishing applicant eligibility, will run May 31 through June 19. ...

Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at communications@scgov.net .  Dali Museum librarian to give talk July 9 about the Spanish artist's creative legacy A traveling exhibit of works by famed Spanish artist Salvador Dali is on display at North Sarasota Library through the end of July. Jacaranda Boulevard work begins  July 13 Jacaranda Boulevard traffic will be reduced to two lanes starting  Monday, July 13 , as a major construction project begins, according to Sarasota County Public Works staff. The first 72 are on you - get prepared We are two months into the 2015 hurricane season, Sarasota County Emergency Management reminds you now is the time to prepare for a hurricane. Have a plan, have your kit ready and remember "the first 72 are on you." Neighborhood Services announces next round of matching grants Could your neighborhood pride use a b...

Sarasota County Grants Coordinator Kathlyn Clayton sent a follow-up email after our last Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting - (Thanks Kathlyn!). Here it is: A gentleman asked for a list of the types of projects that have been funded [through County grants]. Here is a sample: Landscaping Website Development Entryway signs Removal of invasive plants Shoreline restoration Water quality projects Install micro-irrigation Yard of the Month signs Neighborhood watch signs The same gentleman asked me why it ‘s a good idea to have an association. Here are some examples: Unity and communication that allows for a voice and influence into what happens in surrounding areas Sense of community Neighbors watch out for neighbors  Provides a channel through which neighborhood goals can be met A voice in development/land use issues Deal with crime and other disturbances as a unified group Hope the above is helpful.

Many of us have enjoyed the lovely oak hammocks of Rothenbach Park at the east end of Bee Ridge Road: Rothenbach has developed a reputation as one of the most beautiful shaded walks and bicycle paths in Sarasota County. Now there's an initiative to make it even more beautiful and user friendly. Here's the beginning of a letter that went out to Lake Sarasotans and to other East Bee Ridge neighborhoods recently: What makes every community special is not that it is “perfect” from the very start, but that there is a consistent effort on the part of its citizenry to identify areas that need attention and to bring them up to the standards of the rest of our fine community. We are fortunate to have a wonderful Sarasota County Parks Department that has re-developed a “less than attractive” portion of our neighborhood (the landfill) and created a park and wildlife sanctuary that offers walking and biking trails as well as playground and picnic facilities with clean rest...

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 ...

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,"...

The Lake Sarasota Community Group voted unanimously to go forward with a Neighborhood Grant Application that would be used to beautify Mauna Loa Boulevard and create a children's ecological walkway from Mauna Loa to the school crossing at Hand Road. The group -- a non-profit, all-volunteer association that collects no dues and does not impose deed restrictions -- took the action at its regular Sept. 12th general meeting. Sarasota County is currently accepting applications for neighborhood grants for up to $10,000. Proposals must be in by November and those that are accepted for funding will hear in early 2014. The focus on Mauna Loa evolved over the course of a lengthy brainstorming session that considered other options. What made it most appealing was the potential to tie in the planting of attractive trees and plants along the length of Mauna Loa with the prospective new landscaping that the County intends to install along Bee Ridge Road when that road is widened. The ide...

Public invited to provide input on Florida's Historic Preservation Plan  THURSDAY -- Sarasota County residents are invited to participate in a public input session on a proposed  Statewide Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan  3-5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15  at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road in Sarasota. Participants will discuss how the plan can guide efforts to work together to preserve Florida's history and historical, archaeological, and cultural resources.  County to hold neighborhood grant workshops in August SARASOTA --- A series of free grant orientation workshops under the Sarasota County Neighborhood Grant Program will be held August through October at several locations around the county. Residents can learn what improvement projects are eligible for the program and how to apply for a neighborhood grant during the two-hour workshops. Attendance at a workshop is required for grant applicants.  County monitoring seaweed on ...