The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

The Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee consists of representatives of the communities along Bee Ridge Rd. east of I-75 in Sarasota County. The committee has updates on its site about two matters: Improvements to Bee Ridge Road - thanks to property tax cuts, the construction will begin later, and take longer, than originally anticipated. Palmer Place Housing Overlay - this is heading for final approval on August 29, 2007. The BRNC has several concerns about this new housing development: Intensity – Palmer Place increases the area’s density by 60 percent while occupying less than 10 percent of the land. see BRNC Intensity Illustration (1mb) >> Timing – Palmer Place gains a significant density increase without providing any affordable housing. Integration – Palmer Place violates best practices by segregating the affordable villages from the market rate ones. Subsidies – Palmer Place pricing scheme requires tens of millions of dollars in additional taxpay...

From the looks of it, Saturday's Neighborhood Clean-up was a success. County workers reported many dumpsters filled and carried to the landfill, a steady stream of all the things we had cluttering up our garages, attics, and yards. Lake Sarasota feels a few tons lighter this morning. I took some pictures, then left my camera behind at work. If anyone has some to share, please email to lakesarasota@gmail.com. Thanks!

This Saturday, July 28th is the day to get rid of all those large, useless items and yard debris. Dumpsters will be set up near the fire station and near the dog park off of Lago St. and Hand Rd., from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Jessica emailed the good news about her dog, Chloe: Hi... We just got Chloe back!!!!! : ) She was hiding behind Sarasota Baptist Church and a pool guy saw her & called. Thank you for posting a post for us and thank you also to everyone in our neighborhood. Everyone has been very supportive and helpful in our search for Chloe. We really do have wonderful neighbors in our community! : ) At Jessica's request, we're taking down the pic -- but she's a cute dog, and we're glad to hear she's home.

A brief update on the Water Lines. The County asked 68 residents of Lake Sarasota last year if they would accept water lines to County water. The homes are along Jarvis and Lago. We checked on the status of the project: According to Linda Larsen of the county, the engineering was submitted for approval on June 28th, and there are a few projects in the queue ahead of it. The bids might come in August, with work beginning in November and looking for completion in March 2008. This is pushed back from an initial estimated July beginning for the work, which was then pushed to September.

MEDIANS: Dimetra McBride from the Forestry division discussed how trees would be most suitable for our medians, would be low maintenance, and environmentally friendly. We can get trees planted and irrigated by the county once we decide on what type of trees and exactly where to plant them. She will be presenting 3 options at our August meeting that could include removing the existing palms . We will be voting on this at the August 14th meeting, so be sure to attend. FLAG AT ENTRANCE : We voted to place the new flag at the second median (first median is slated by county to be removed). It may be a month before this happens, as we have to get a new permit and county paid by insurance company from accident. CRIME IN LAKE SARASOTA : Sgt Joe Giasone attended to update us that crime is down in Lake Sarasota and he's pleased to see our Citizen's Patrol going. He did remind us to not keep valuables in vehicles parked outside garage. With budget cuts, we aren't li...

Another Reminder - Monthly Meeting on Tuesday July 10th @ 7 pm - Sarasota Baptist Church - Room #100.... Will discuss: Medians / Flag Pole / Dumpster Day / Directory Also…..Other Reminders to Lake Sarasota residents: CRIME, SPEEDING & TRASH in Lake Sarasota: Here's what has helped and how you can help: CITIZEN'S PATROL: Get involved and invite your neighbors. Let me know if you want to know more. EMAIL LAW ENFORCEMENT: If you see something, report it to: bpollock@scgov.net & jgiasone@scgov.net or call the Non-Emergency: 316-1201 or County Sheriff: 951-5800 TRAFFIC CALMING INITIATIVE: We have achieved lowering the speed limit and getting more stop signs. Now we are working on speed bumps. If you haven't signed the petition and would like to, let me know. We will have it at the meeting, too. TRASH PICK UP: Trash begets Trash, so if we keep it picked up; most people are less likely...

Lake Sarasota Resident Susan Rosell is featured in the latest newsletter from Sarasota County Neighborhood Services . Susan launched the community's Yard of the Month program. The article is entitled: "Lake Sarasota - a model for the future."

It's "that time" of year again, and at the Sarasota All Hazards Preparation Site , you'll find useful info for all kinds of emergencies. You might want to bookmark it, and have a look at a few links on it in particular - a good resource: Sarasota County Storm Center Sarasota County Shelters and Evacuation Routes Hurricane Preparation There are more weather/hurricane links on the right --> You might also want to print this out: Disaster Supply Kit Every home should have a Disaster Survival Kit. Ensure a minimum three day (preferably one week) supply for each person. If you have chosen to evacuate to a shelter here are some items you will want to have ready in your shelter kit. These are items you should keep handy in your shelter kit: Have a two-week supply of Critical Prescription Medications Personal hygiene supplies Baby needs; diapers, formula, etc. Battery operated television or radio and flashlight Extra batteries Blankets, pillows, sleeping bags ...

From Laura: Here are the topics we will discuss: PLEASE JOIN US AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!! FLAG AT ENTRANCE If you hadn't noticed, it was hit last Friday night and bent beyond repair - along w/ bushes. -Where should we put replacement: behind sign on west side of entrance or second median? (first median is proposed to be removed when intersection redone, so we are likely not going to be allowed to replace it there.) TREES FOR MEDIANS Dimetra McBride from Forestry Dept will be out to speak to us about what types of trees are available & where they could be placed. COMMUNITY DIRECTORY Original vision was to use as a free resource to promote the gifts and talents of our residents (when you need a plumber, electrician, landscaper, etc. you can find a neighbor to call) -Would you like to be included? -What else would you like to see in it? -Should we incorporate as advertising in newsletter? DUMPSTER DAY AND MEDIAN CLEAN UP - July 28th 8:00 a.m. - 3 p.m. Dumpste...

At the general meeting next Tuesday, July 10, the Lake Sarasota Community Group will ask attendees to help us decide on a couple of issues. First, as you might have noticed, the flagpole that was at the Bee Ridge/Mauna Loa entrance is down due to a traffic incident. Where should it be placed to avoid future problems? Some think it should go in the second median; others say it would be better placed behind one of the entrance signs to the side of the entrance. Let us know what you think. Second, a forestry expert from the county will be at the meeting to offer advice on what sort of trees will do well in our medians. We're hoping to learn about trees that will offer a canopy of shade, but not involve too much maintenance. Again, we welcome your input. Come out on Tuesday at 7 p.m. It's at Sarasota Baptist on Hand Rd. We'll also have updates on the Neighborhood Clean-up set for Saturday, July 28 - dumpsters will be set up near the Firehouse and near Paw Park on Lago St. Ther...

Attn: All Lake Sarasota Residents Yes, we will be meeting on July 10th from 7-8:30 @ Sarasota Baptist Church Room #100 and will have Charlie from Code Enforcement out to speak to us about the clean-up day planned for July 28th. We will have dumpsters available for larger items to be disposed of. If anyone has suggestions for further discussion, please let me know by Thursday. Also, I wanted to clarify that for the Citizen's Patrol, we can now have only one trained person in the vehicle, but at least 2 people still need to be in vehicle. Please call George Morgan if you would like to get on the schedule: 377-4437. Remember - you 'patrol' only a once a month :) Thanks and have a great day! Laura Mathis Lake Sarasota Community Group