City Hall Closed - Veterans Day, Nov. 11      City Hall administrative offices will be closed next Tuesday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.  Please note:  garbage, recycling and yard waste will be collected as usual.  The City's recreational facilities including Lido Pool, Bobby Jones Golf Club and Robert L. Taylor Community Complex will be open with regular business hours.

Veterans Day Parade & Ceremony    Many of us will participate in the annual Veterans Day parade, and we hope you will be there to support our military veterans.  The parade will start at Osprey Ave. and Main St. at 10 a.m. and proceed to lower Main St. where it will conclude at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park, with a ceremony at approximately 11 a.m.

The annual Veterans Day parade will take place on Main Street at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11.

This year's keynote speaker is Michael Burns, a Sarasota resident and Vietnam veteran.  Mike endured 56 months as a prisoner of war after being shot down over Vietnam during his 18th combat support mission as an F-4 Phantom fighter jet pilot.  We're
proud of his bravery and courage while serving our nation, as we are the American military personnel currently stationed around the globe.

In remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice during wartime, a new War Memorial plaque will be unveiled  during the ceremony.  Hope to see you at the ceremony and parade!

Old Bradenton Road -  Update    A significant traffic shift on Old Bradenton Road at 47th Street is scheduled to begin next week.  On Monday (Nov. 10), 47th Street at Old Bradenton Road will be closed.  Drivers will be able to go north and southbound on Old Bradenton Road, but not access 47th St.  Also, rather than curving around the intersection

A contractor cuts brick pavers at the 47th Street roundabout earlier this week.

to the west, as the case has been for the past several months, the north and southbound lanes will use the new roundabout pavement around the circle as designed.  The new traffic shift is necessary while crews pour the concrete approach to the new roundabout at 47th St.  The contractor is scheduled to complete work and reopen 47th St. by November 22.

Meanwhile, progress continues with this utility and street improvement project.  The new water line extending from Dr. MLK, Jr. Way to University Parkway is in place and approved for usage through the Health Department.  Bioswales are now being installed along Old Bradenton Road and new concrete sidewalks are being poured along the east side, starting at 32nd Street.  Soon, SCAT bus shelters,including two tiki huts, will be built.

This is an unusually complex project involving the relocation of a myriad of private and public utilities.  We appreciate residents' patience, particularly those in the Bayou Oaks neighborhood, who have been enduring this construction. 

Beginning November 10, there will be a traffic shift at Old Bradenton Road and 47th Street.  Motorists will use the new roundabout as designed.

Street Resurfacing - 12th St. & Lime Ave.    Our annual citywide street resurfacing program is still underway, and you may have noticed crews working on 12th Street and Lime Avenue this week.

12th St., from U.S. 301 to Tuttle Ave., is being milled as well as Lime

Crews milling 12th St. this week.  The road is   expected to be repaved and open by Nov. 14.

Ave. from 12th St. to Fruitville Rd.  Once the milling is complete, both stretches of road -- a combined 2.2 miles -- will be paved. You may experience some slowdowns in those areas through next week, when the project is expected to wrap up.
 
We appreciate everyone's patience while we make these needed quality of life improvements to our infrastructure.  If you're aware of a road in the city limits which needs repaving, please contact the Public Works Department:  941-955-2325.

Sarasota Keys - Pianos Return     The pianos are back in downtown!  The popular interactive music and art program called Sarasota Keys will be re-launched today (Fri., Nov. 7) with a concert

One of the newly painted pianos which will be placed downtown for the public to play.

at Selby Five Points Park at 5:30 p.m.  The event, coordinated by the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, is free and will feature five professional pianists playing five pianos. 

The concert will signify the beginning of the new Sarasota Keys season with twelve spinet pianos placed around downtown available for the public to play.  (That's twice as many pianos, as approved by the City Commission, from when the program started last year.) 

Artists have painted the new pianos and we're looking forward to them being rolled out.  Organizers are finalizing the details of where the pianos will be located throughout downtown.  We'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, enjoy the concert in the park!

Visitor Info Center - Open in Downtown!    This week, we welcomed the Downtown Visitor Information Center to Lemon Avenue (between Main St. and First St.) after it relocated from the Chidsey Building on Tamiami Trail. Many people have wanted Visit Sarasota County to have a visible presence in the heart of downtown where there is a lot of foot traffic.  Now the information center is a reality -- just before tourist season sets in.  Inside the cozy storefront, a wall is lined with traveler friendly information, including maps and brochures for restaurants, cultural arts destinations and tourist attractions in the area.  Friendly employees and volunteers also are on hand to answer tourist-type questions. 

The center is open weekdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.  We're happy to have this new neighbor downtown -- and we hope they're very busy! 

L to R:  Downtown Economic Development Coordinator Norm Gollub, Visit Sarasota County President Virginia Haley, Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown, City Commissioner Suzanne Atwell and Visit Sarasota County Board Member Kelly Dowd cut a ceremonial ribbon Thursday morning to open the Visitor Information Center.

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