Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/86226
Sarasota News Leader October 5, 2012 have the money to do [such a project] at pres- ent anyway." However, Tatge pointed out that the necessary modifications to make the cottage a public facility would result in significant structural changes. "Sometimes, " he said, "it just doesn't make any financial sense to do that." He added, "That's one of the things we're going slow on as well," determining "the highest and best use" of the cottage. In the meantime, staff at that com- ing site meeting will take a look at whether the cur- rent number of parking spaces — eight — can be doubled or tripled, Tatge said. "We haven't done the math yet." The plan is to move or remove the fence along one side of the ac- cess to provide an extra 40 feet or so of space to accom- modate addition- al vehicles. One thought, he said, is that staff might leave sections of Page 45 the fence there, instead of installing more parking bumpers. In other park districts around the United States, Tatge noted, native and natural mate- rials are being utilized instead of manmade structures wherever possible. For example, he said, "They'll cut a tree down in the parking lot" and leave the trunk on the ground as one long parking bumper. The goal with parks, he said, "is to minimize your impact … so that's exactly what we're doing." At some time in the future, Tatge said, the Access 7 parking area might have to be paved, but that action would necessitate going through a permitting pro- cess. "Those are issues we're tip- toeing around," he said. A Sarasota County sign at Access 7 tells visitors about the endangered beach-nesting birds that mi- grate to Siesta Key each year. Ultimately, Tatge said, "It's trying to walk that fine line between what the neighborhood can tolerate and the County Commis- sion can tolerate."