Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/97647
REOPENING SHORTLY Osprey Avenue soon will see regular traffic flow, but the work on Lift Station 87 might take longer than construction of the Great Pyramid — Stan Zimmerman It will take about as long to build Lift Station 87 at Luke Wood Park as it did to build the Great Pyramid of Khufu near Cairo, Egypt. Work on the city's star-crossed sewage pumping facility began in 2008, after repeated failures at Lift Station 7 led to spills of hundreds of thousands of gallons of untreated sewage into Hudson Bayou and on into Sarasota Bay. The latest estimate for completion — released Monday, Dec. 3 — indicates the work will be complete in 2015. (Full story here) 'A HOMELESS CAMP' Residents complain about the number of homeless people — and their actions — in Sarasota's Gillespie Park — Stan Zimmerman Sarasota's focus on homelessness shifted to Gillespie Park this week. At the Monday, Dec. 3, City Commission meeting, a parade of neighborhood residents delivered a long litany of complaints during the evening's open-to-the-public session. Speakers had only two minutes to make their points. "I won't walk in the park. It's becoming a homeless camp," said Louise Tracy. "There is an influx of homeless spending days in the park. They bring immense amounts of trash; we're just inundated with it," said Dale Orlando. He produced pictures of the trash to emphasize his statement. "The problem is not geographic and the solution isn't musical benches. You need long-term solutions," he added. (Full story here) For The Best Reading Experience Get Sarasota News Leader On Your Tablet SarasotaNewsLeader.com/webapp AT A GLANCE TOP STORIES