Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/223368
Sarasota News Leader December 6, 2013 Page 114 Siesta Seen $21.5 million in improvements at the beach Carolyn Brown provided me with the followpark. That project is just getting under way, ing comment in her email regarding that part of the discussion: according to county staff memos. County staff was supposed to have blocked off some of the beach parking lot to make room for the Crystal Classic buses to pick up and offload passengers, Bankemper said. "Somehow, it didn't happen," though such a plan worked "quite well" during the three previous Crystal Classics, she noted. By the time organizers realized the space had not been dedicated to the buses, she added, it was too late to remedy the situation. "If you don't do it by 7 o'clock in the morning," she pointed out, "you can't do it." "I was informed that two parking spaces were blocked off [for] buses to nose in and drop off [people] in the lot during the Crystal Classic. Signage and barricades were put up at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. The area was not as large as previous years but it worked for traffic flow." McGregor added some general thoughts in his remarks at the SKVA meeting. "I don't think we can do a whole lot with that parking lot. You're trying to put a lot of vehicles into only so many spaces. … I don't know if we can improve on it" other than keeping the drivers moving. Kay Kouvatsos, vice president of the Siesta Key Village Association (left) takes notes as President Cheryl Gaddie listens to a discussion in August. File photo