Highlights of the August Meeting

Tuesday night's general meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group covered a lot of ground. Here are the highlights:

Our Treasurer was not present, but we assume we have much the same as was reported in July in our account: $1364.

Ted is seeking volunteers for future Citizen Patrols. He also provided this analysis of the Sheriff's July crime report:

There were a total of 13 incidents, down from 20 in June. There was one burglary, seven thefts, and five juvenile disturbances. There were no instances of vandalism. Most incidents occurred in mid-month. from the 14th through the 23rd. Most incidents occurred between 4 p.m. and Midnight. The incidents were evenly distributed through the week, with more incidents occurring between 10 p.m. and Midnight. Vana had three incidents. Palau and Samoa Drives both experienced two incidents. The following streets had one incident each: Brentford, Berkshire, Eton, Friendship, Mauna Loa, and Molokai.

From the data, it looks like we want to concentrate our patrols in mid-month and in the afternoon and evening hours.

Lakeview Park: The discussion revolved around the canals - running the pump longer, what it might take to put in a fountain and the best way to do it. There was also mention of the county's NEST program, which is designed to help people clear up lakes by guiding them to proper plantings along the shore. (Click on link for more, and check out the video.)

Some neighborhood kids have, with a ton of organized energy, built a sort of home-made BMX track along the walkway from Mauna Loa to Jarvis. After some discussion (last year, the county had floated the idea of putting an educational park there), those present thought there might be a way to support the kids' initiative. However, some modifications are probably necessary to make it safe -- at present, one ramp seems to allow bikes to fly out into Jarvis -- with potential bad consequences if a car happens along at the same moment. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Sandy led a discussion of future events. It is hoped we can have speakers at upcoming meetings who will talk about some very practical, money-saving topics. - stay tuned - these could include:

• Weatherization - apparently there are programs that will insulate and change all the windows in your home for free, if you meet income requirements.
• Fire Inspections - free inspections to help make your home secure from fire.
• Energy Audit - free house checkups from FPL that could save you money on electricity.

The group chose Nov. 7th to hold the fall Lake Sarasota Mega Yard Sale - mark the date.

Also, we're planning a fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 24 - as it's right before Halloween, that could be the theme. It will be in Lakeview Park.

Some residents have been notified of a power outage scheduled for this weekend - Friday and Saturday nights, from 2 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. If your clocks and electronic appliances are all out of whack, that's probably why.

An abandoned house on Jarvis is wide open, with lots of stuff inside. Residents who live near it are fearful that it has become a health hazard - large rats have been spotted, as well as a danger to children who can just walk in, and a fire hazard as well.

The home is in foreclosure, and the county has begun proceedings, but estimates of time before seeing action are 30-50 days. The group unanimously agreed the house should be boarded up, and there was talk of contacting the health department to see about getting this done.

The next meeting is Sept. 8, at Sarasota Baptist, room 100. As usual, the agenda will be posted the week before here on the blog.