Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/235968
Sarasota News Leader January 3, 2014 remain on a leash while in the park. Under an experiment allowing dogs to be under "voice control" of their masters, owners were not deemed to be sufficiently responsible. Almost 16 months to the day after he spoke of the need to illuminate Siesta Village's crosswalks, Peter van Roekens watches in person as the Sarasota County Commission unanimously directs staff to purchase lighting equipment directly from a manufacturer and use an existing county contract with a firm to handle the installation. The cost is estimated at $72,000 — $46,000 below the only bid the county received for the project earlier this year. "I am relieved. I really am," van Roekens tells The Sarasota News Leader following the commission's action during its May 7 meeting in Venice. Ryan Montague in the county's Mobility/ Traffic Office says the goal is to have the project completed by November, but he is hopeful that timeline can be accelerated. Page 46 Intended to encourage the construction of walkable, mixed-use communities and to limit urban sprawl, Sarasota 2050 has been a hot topic of discussion since last year, when the County Commission directed staff to ask developers how they would like to see the plan changed. On May 8, staff summarizes those developer suggestions, as well as feedback from environmental and neighborhood organizations, asking whether the commission wanted to begin the thorny process of altering 2050's detailed land-use regulations. The answer: Yes, and let's get on with it, already. Commissioner Joe Barbetta moves to eliminate a round of neighborhood workshops and Planning Commission consultation in the review process. Commissioner Charles Hines says citizens can register their thoughts at any public hearings, meaning there is no need for neighborhood input in the short term. Commissioner Nora Patterson is the only board member to object. It may be the first year eighth-graders at Brookside Middle School in Sarasota have Brookside Middle School robotics team members win accolades at a School Board meeting. Photo by Scott Proffitt