Payne Park Plaza    Construction is underway for a new 8,300 square foot retail and office space building in downtown.  Known as Payne Park Plaza, the building will be located at 242 S. Washington

Construction is underway for Payne Park Plaza.

Blvd., adjacent to the UPS Store and across from the Sarasota County Terrace Building.  The building space is being developed by Dr. Mark Kauffman, who, over the years, has been involved with many developments which helped define our downtown.  We're looking forward to this latest endeavor coming to fruition and having a lasting positive impact on the community.  We also hope it will be a catalyst for more infill development along this gateway to our community, which, with collaboration with our Urban Design Studio team, could help spur landscape, sidewalk and streetscape improvements in that area. 

An artist's rendering depicting Payne Park Plaza.

SPD Reminder:  Back to School Aug. 18    School starts next Monday, and the SPD is reminding drivers to be especially vigilant and watch for school children crossing streets.  12 public and private schools are located within the city limits, so expect to experience increased traffic on the roads during the early morning hours and the afternoon.  Allow extra time for the extra traffic.  And, please adhere to the posted speed limit near schools.  SPD has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to speeding in school zones, and, as always, they will be on patrol to help the kids and grandkids make it to and from school safely.

For the second year, the City has an agreement with Sarasota County Schools to provide school resource officers (SROs) at designated schools.  With officers on campus, they're able to interact with students every school day, which helps build trust between the SROs and students, and, ultimately, helps keep our schools and children safe.  We have three SROs, with one assigned to Booker High, Sarasota High and Brookside Middle.  All three officers attended Sarasota County schools.  Get to know each SRO by watching brief profiles on the SPD YouTube channel:  www.YouTube.com/SarasotaPoliceDept

Officers Kevin Schafer and Bruce King monitoring traffic last year as students returned to school.

Lockwood Ridge/12th St. Drainage Project    With the repaving of portions of 12th Street and Lockwood Ridge this past Monday, that drainage improvement project is substantially completed.  Crews installed a new curb and gutter, a new portion of sidewalk, and repaved the nearby lanes -- all while maintaining traffic flow.  Permanent striping will be applied after the pavement has cured, which should be in about three weeks.  By managing the flow of rainwater better, we expect these improvements will have a considerable positive impact on pedestrians and drivers who traverse that area.

Repaving 12th Street near Lockwood Ridge earlier this week.

Annual Street Repaving - Project Continues    Meanwhile, the annual street repaving project is continuing, as nine miles of streets are milled and paved.  Starting next week (August 18), crews will mill and pave the following streets:

Jr. Golf Camp Concludes   The Bobby Jones staff shifted gears from hosting runners to teaching golf clinics for children.  The third and final Junior Golf Camp of the summer was held this week -- and the

PGA pro and assistant golf course manager Christian Martin demonstrating proper stance to 10-year-old Tim Williamson.

3-day camp was extremely popular -- so popular, staff made arrangements to accommodate the unexpected influx of children.  20 students enrolled, ranging from 7 to 16-years-old.  Some had previous golf experience, while others had never held a club before.  Our PGA professionals taught them about golf etiquette, sportsmanship and the fundamentals of driving, chipping and putting, all while making it fun.  Our PGA pros make it look easy!  Thank you, Christian Martin and Daniel Bailey, Jr., for your patience and dedication introducing the younger generation to a sport they can play for a lifetime.