Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/281176
Siesta Seen exactly the significant level of help for which the commissioners might have hoped. A March 18 staff memo to the board says, "During the negotiation process, the District made clear its position that the intent of [the] agreement is to help fund improvements to water quality. The District further averred that the decision to change the stormwater treatment system's outfall from the Grand Canal to the Gulf of Mexico did not improve water quality." The memo adds, "As a result, the District declined to provide additional cooperative funding for the higher than anticipated cost of the Gulf outfall portion of the project. Per the accepted bid price for construction, the District calculated that the cost of the water quality improvement portion of the project increased by $44,444." Therefore, the memo noted, given the original 50-50 cost-sharing agreement on improving water quality, SWFWMD was contributing another $22,222. After Siesta residents protested the proposal for stormwater outfall in the Grand Canal, the county was able to obtain permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to shift the outfall to the gulf. The goal of the project has been to prevent future closures of the No. 1 beach to swim- ming because of unhealthful bacterial levels resulting from stormwater runoff. A couple of closures in past years underscored the need for the project, Commissioner Nora Patterson has pointed out. Because of various delays over the years, staff had to work hard to ensure the county could keep the original grant funds of up to $975,000 Heavy equipment stood on the site of the Siesta stormwater project on March 4. Photo by Rachel Hackney Sarasota News Leader March 21, 2014 Page 109