The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

This Thursday, March 1: Everyone's welcome to our quarterly meeting in the main building at Alliance Church at 7 pm: 7221 Bee Ridge Rd, north side of Bee Ridge opposite Chaucer. Make your voice heard and meet some neighbors!   The proposed agenda: Community concerns Voting to renew our license Spring community garage sale date Fresh Start FPL Power line placement on Bee Ridge Bus Stop at Allan Place The men of Alliance Church want to know about any needy residents again. Note that the meeting will be in the Main Building.

Pot luck picnic! Improved games! Fun activities for the entire neighborhood! Get together with your neighbors and have a good time at the Pavilion in Lakeview park, near the boat ramp and restrooms. Bring an item if you can, or a game, or advertise your business. You'll find the sign-up here:  

The Lake Sarasota Group (LSCG) set dates for two fall events at its quarterly meeting Thursday: The next Community Garage Sale is set for November 11. Nov. 18th is reserved for the Fall Festival Block Party. More about that to come. Also, a reminder that this Saturday, June 10th, is our annual Lake Sarasota Cleanup - main dumpster will be situated next to the Firehouse on Toro. A secondary dumpster will be next to the dog park on Hand Rd. The LSCG set two meeting dates: Sept. 14 will be the next quarterly meeting, and Nov. 9th is a special meeting for fall events. The Group also got an update on the strong popular resistance to a developer's proposal to put a large industrial waste processing facility on public lands at the Celery Fields. CONA Sarasota will look at next steps and look at the larger question of county stewardship of public lands on Monday, June 12, at 7 pm. Details here .

Residents of Lake Sarasota meet this Thursday at Alliance Church at 7 pm. All are welcome to this community meeting. On the agenda: — Plans for a fall garage sale and community picnic — An update on the  status of the Celery Fields — A potential project to take care of neighbors in need The meeting is at Sarasota Alliance Church, opposite Chaucer, in the conference rooms behind the church.

Hina Park in Lake Sarasota Report from March 16, 2017 LSCG Meeting: It was decided without objection to leave the executive board in place for the next year. Motion was heard, seconded, and carried. The March 25th community garage sale is on, but Keith and Sommer cannot accept any donations because they'll be away. The flag was replaced and there was a report of a pulled post in Hina park. The volunteers for the Hina Park project were thanked and some money was collected if anyone who acquired material (Tammy and John Fultz) wish to be reimbursed. If so, speak to Ellie. Carlos Correa from The Enclaves on Palmer Blvd. came by and spoke passionately about supporting the efforts to block the development near Celery Fields. I for one agree and there seemed to be no dissent at the table. We should think of ways to get involved. I, for one, will spend my spring break annoying Caragiulo about this through email and phone calls. Others are encouraged to write him, attend protests, ...

It was great to see such a large group at our Jan. 26th 2017 neighborhood meeting! Thanks to everyone who took time to share their concerns and meet some new neighbors. Our group exists — to serve a social function — to serve an educational function — to beautify and unify the community Our next meeting is set for March 9, 7-8:30 pm . We’ll be electing officers. Please consider taking a leadership role in this all-volunteer group. We have two other upcoming events planned: -- A work day at Hina Point Park. Feb. 25th at 9 a.m. Hina Park is the little park where Palau and Hina come together. Neighbors will be replacing rotted wood posts and doing some planting and mulching. ( March 4 is the rain date.) Here's a flashback to when folks created the park. -- After the huge success of our last neighborhood garage sale , we’re planning another one for March 25 from 8 a.m. to whenever you wish to close up. The neighborhood group will place an ad ...

Folks can decide their hours, but normally customers are here by 8 a.m. and traffic dies down by 2 p.m. We do not have maps. The sale will be advertised. Participating homes might wish to put some balloons or something on their mailboxes to catch the eye.

Lake Sarasotans are organizing another Community Garage Sale for Saturday,   March 7th, 8 a.m. to 1 pm.  If you wish to help with the advertising expenses, call Joanna at 941 371-1101. Also, the next Lake Sarasota Community meeting is Thursday, March 12, 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church.

A good attendance at the special January meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group - largely due to the effectiveness of NEXTDOOR , the community communication tool that has shown itself to be quite useful. If you have not already signed up and you live in Lake Sarasota, go to https://lakesarasota.nextdoor.com/ and so long as you live within the community, you will be welcome. In brief: 1. Ellie says the Group's treasury amounts to $329, with $29 coming from contributions from participants in the last Garage Sale. (Good thing we're an all-volunteer organization). 2. The Next Community Garage Sale will be March 7. 3. Reports of teens on golf carts vandalizing property at the dead-end of Mauna Loa raised concerns. It is unclear how the golf carts are accessing Lake Sarasota, if in fact they are coming, as some have reported, from Bent Tree. After some discussion, these solutions were suggested: Resurrect Citizens Patrol and have one of its foci be the area a...

Last weekend's Neighborhood Yard Sale was a success, said Ellie Himes, one of the Board members of the Lake Sarasota Community Group who worked to organize the sale and produce a list of LS residences that participated in the sale. Himes estimated at least 200 lists of homes were handed out, most to folks coming in from outside the community. Those who signed on for the $2 donation to be on the list of homes can bring or send it to 7108 Java Drive. Thank you!

The Neighborhood Yard Sale is coming Nov. 15th If you wish to be on the map showing your home's location, contact Joanna at 371-1101. $2 donation.

The date for the Autumn Lake Sarasota Community Yard Sale is Saturday, Nov. 15th, 8 am to 1 pm. (Of course it can continue beyond 1 pm if people wish). More to come.

A summary of the Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting of Sept. 11, 2014. Treasurer’s report - the group has $297 and no debts. It voted unanimously to renew membership in CONA Sarasota . Update on Bee Ridge roadwork : Speed limit remains 35 mph throughout the duration of the project. Police are actively enforcing the limit. Racetrac  has begun work on its gas station at Mauna Loa Blvd. and Bee Ridge Rd. opposite the entrance to Lake Sarasota. The station will have 20 bays and a large store footprint. Racetrac construction TerraCap and the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce : TerraCap requested and received a postponement of its petitioned rezoning for the 50-acre plot at the north side Mauna Loa and Bee Ridge Rd. to allow time to meet with neighborhood representatives who are seeking a legally binding covenant to limit impacts on traffic and nuisance issues (bright lights, noise at night, etc). The rezoning will be heard at the County on Nov. 4. Representatives of resident...

The next community meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group (LSCG) will feature a Sarasota County grants coordinator who will talk about how to apply for county grants of up to $10,000 for the neighborhood, and the kinds of projects that can be done. The LSCG will meet Thursday, Sept. 11 at 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church , directly opposite Chaucer at Bee Ridge. The meeting rooms are behind the church building. So far the agenda includes: Grants talk and help - Sarasota County volunteer coordinator Kathlyn Clayton. Update on Bee Ridge roadwork. Status of Racetrac. Status of TerraCap and the BRPOC rezoning. 2050 Plan update. Rothenbach Park Initiative Possibility of Fall Neighborhood Garage Sale. All are welcome to attend these meetings - we are strictly volunteer - no dues!

The Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting of 3.13.14 took place at Sarasota Alliance Church. Here's a brief summary: 1. Tax Attorney Mary King presented some tips on what to do if you're audited by the IRS, and gave out a copy of each of her books: Resolve IRS Problems , and Protect and Defend . 2. The Board will ask the Treasurer to renew the LSCG's 501(c)3 status and its CONA membership. The Group also noted that the Treasury is running low and some means of replenishing it need to be found. This will be an agenda item for the next meeting, set for June 12th. 3. The Garage Sale is set for March 29th . So far some 35 homes are on the Neighborhood Garage Sale Map . Sandy has asked for volunteer to help distribute the maps on the day of the sale. To get on the map, or to help hand them out anytime between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., contact her at Sarasotadreams@gmail.com. 4.  A letter to the County Commission expressing a desire that the County proceed cautiously wit...

The Lake Sarasota Community Group holds its quarterly meeting Thursday March 13, at 7 p.m. at Sarasota Alliance Church. The meeting rooms are in the office space behind the Church. The agenda: 1. Speaker: Tax Attorney Mary King 2. Treasury (Ellie) 3. a - Update: Bee Ridge Rd.     b - Update: Entrance Sign     c -  Spine Road  Action Item: Letter to County Commission (Tom) 4.  Garage Sale . (Sandy) 5. Sheriff's Report (Ted) 6. Other business Spine Road and N/S Corridor

The next meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group will feature   Sarasota tax attorney Mary King , who will talk about tax resolution and take questions from those in attendance. The meeting is set for March 13, 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church (opposite Chaucer). Other items: 1. The Lake Sarasota Community Garage Sale is set for Saturday March 29th. If you wish to be on the map, contact Sandy Allen at SarasotaDreams@gmail.com. Here's the map so far: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zBfHYD-6Jr3Y.kGQrIcvMzfGU 2. The proposal to rezone the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (directly opposite the Mauna Loa entrance to Lake Sarasota) comes before the Planning Commission April 3rd, 6:30 pm , at the North County Admin Center. After this review, it will go to the Board of Commissioners. Included in this proposal are two items: 1) rezoning from PCD to CN, and 2) a right-in/right-out turn from Bee Ridge into the Park of Commerce about 450' from the intersection ...

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...

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

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 we...