Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/96141
Sarasota News Leader November 30, 2012 Page 12 volunteered to undertake a review of the project cost estimates, on behalf of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce and other island organizations, so he could offer a professional opinion to the commission on the ballooning expenses. The consultants' estimated construction cost for the project is $14,279,597, Smith pointed out in his letter, with a contingency fund of $2,432,825, for a total of $16,712,422. In a letter dated Nov. 26, he provided the commissioners with details and a summary of his review. That letter is expected to be part of the discussion when the commission reviews the project with staff and consultants on Dec. 11 during a regular meeting in Sarasota. 2011. His construction estimate is $13,229,597, with a contingency fund of $3,482,825, for a total Smith is chairman of the Siesta Chamber and of $16,712,422. past president of the Siesta Key Village Asso- The $16.7 million figure is what the commisciation. sion authorized for the project in September Among the findings that had disturbed him most in his discussions with the consultants, Smith told the News Leader in a Nov. 27 interview, was the cost per square foot calculated for the project. A slide from a Dec. 7, 2011 PowerPoint presentation to the County Commission shows how the Siesta Beach Park improvements could be completed by the fall of 2014. Image courtesy Sarasota County