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Siesta Seen Patterson added that FDOT's engineer in Sarasota County is "a decent guy," so she expects "we'll all get to have our 2 cents' [worth]." THE LIDO BEACH RENOURISHMENT PROJECT The Save Our Siesta Sand 2 Facebook page reported on March 29 that a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers barge was sighted in Big Sarasota Pass that morning. Word about the vessel had circulated through membership of the Boaters' Coalition, but it took awhile for someone to spot the Army Corps identifica- tion on it, I learned. The Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2) Facebook page — and a new website — are part of an advocacy effort to preserve Big Pass from dredging, which is part of the Army Corps' plans to add about 1.1 million cubic yards of sand to the critically eroded Lido Beach. The Corps confirmed just last week that it still is on schedule to release models and analysis about the dredging and effects of its renour- ishment plan on Siesta Key — including the construction of three groins on South Lido Key to slow the downdrift of sand to the pass and Siesta — in late April. During the April 1 SKVA meeting, Patterson mentioned the project during an update on governmental affairs. Given the scientific complexity of the materi- als the Army Corps will release, she pointed out, she expects the average person will find them difficult to understand. That is all the more reason an independent peer review of the analysis and modeling would be valuable, Patterson said. During a recent meeting of Lido residents, she continued, Virginia Haley, president of the county's tourism arm, Visit Sarasota County, suggested that Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman — known internationally as "Dr. Beach" — might be a good choice to undertake such a peer review. Leatherman is the same person who named Siesta Public Beach No. 1 in the nation in 2011. Patterson said she is not certain Leatherman has the expertise to handle the work. Regardless of who is chosen for the review, she noted, she feels the county should pay for the work. NEW SKVA OFFICERS Congratulations go to Wendall Jacobsen, general manager of Beach Bazaar in Siesta Village, for being elected the new presi- dent of the SKVA, replacing Cheryl Gaddie of CG Interior Design. Mark Smith of Smith Architects was elected vice president, replac- ing Kay Kouvatsos of Village Café. Helene Hyland of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate will continue as secretary, and Roz Hyman of Siesta Center was reelected trea- surer. The vote was taken on April 1. % Sarasota News Leader April 4, 2014 Page 96