Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/92622
Sarasota News Leader November 9, 2012 The third shock was the imposition of parking time limits on Saturdays, a first for the circle. With tourist season rapidly approaching, mer- chants have been screaming with increasing volume to get city attention. Meanwhile, downtown Sarasota merchants have been waiting for a resolution on St. Ar- mands before they create their own "parking cyclone." "We need to look at whether we need to be in the parking business," said City Commissioner Shannon Snyder. "If downtown needs parking, they need to figure out their own solution. We have to be tough enough at some point to say, 'Help Yourself.'" City Parking Manager Mark Lyons is the man in the middle. He dares not violate the ev- All Sarasota County and City of Sara- sota government offices, including the Federal Building, the city's Pub- lic Works Department, libraries, rec- reation centers and the Sarasota County His- tory Center, will be closed Monday, Nov. 12, in observance of Veterans Day. The following Sarasota County Parks and Rec- reation facilities will be open: • Arlington Park, noon to 5 p.m. • Payne Park, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Knight Trail Park Pistol and Rifle Range and the Englewood Sports Complex will be closed. Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) bus ser- vice, including paratransit service, will oper- Page 51 er-changing City Commission policies, but real people with real parking problems have put him under increasing pressure every day to change something, anything. The commissioners on Nov. 5 gave Lyons the flexibility to banish the St. Armands boxes and dial back the enforcement regulations to those in place at this time last year: no Satur- day restrictions and no extension to 8 p.m. He said he would come back for their approval of his proposed changes at the earliest possible meeting. What was to be a uniform parking policy city- wide now has the makings of its first special exception for St. Armands — and the "flip-flop machine" is still ticking. COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICES TO CLOSE FOR VETERANS DAY ate on the regular schedule on Veterans Day. However, the Veterans Bus will not run on Nov. 12, the county has announced. County and city garbage collection will not be affected for residential customers, city and county news releases say. Both the landfill at 4000 Knights Trail Road and the Citizens' Convenience Center at 4010 Knights Trail Road in Nokomis will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 12. The landfill administration office will be closed, the coun- ty news release says. The Chemical Collection Center at 8750 Bee Ridge Road, the ReUzIt Shop and the Jack- son Road Chemical Collection Center will be closed.