City News: Public Art, Scooter/Bicycle Sharing, The Bay Park

City of Sarasota, Florida sent this bulletin at 02/04/2022 03:00 PM EST

February 4, 2022

Hello Friends,

To clarify the vision for our city and guide its future course, earlier this month the City Commission unanimously adopted a strategic plan and goals for the next two years. We want Sarasota to be a city that:

provides accessible government
models responsive government
practices sound financial decision making
demonstrates responsible administrative practices
exhibits the values of a caring community
is an inclusive and diverse community
demonstrates economic sustainability
provides a climate maximizing the opportunity for success
fosters a safe and welcoming environment
values arts and culture and their history

Together, as the City Commission, your elected body, we plan to allocate resources to projects which further at least three of those ten goals. With this disciplined, thoughtful approach, Sarasota will become even more livable and will be closer to becoming the number one city in America!

Recently, on behalf of the City, I was honored to accept a $10.1 million Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) grant from Gov. Ron DeSantis to fund important environmental and sustainability improvements at The Bay Park. We will work with our partners at The Bay Park Conservancy to improve water quality at Hog Creek that flows into Sarasota Bay, protect the natural shoreline and mitigate erosion from natural disasters, and elevate Van Wezel Way to alleviate flooding. These projects will have a lasting impact and preserve our coastal environment for future generations.

Many people worked diligently behind the scenes for two years writing grant proposals and providing extensive documentation to the DEO. Heartfelt thanks go out to The Bay Park Conservancy Chief Implementation Officer Bill Waddill who worked closely with the City’s Grants Writer Laura Wittenbauer to present the need for the funding with specific details of how the dollars will be expended. The City’s Sustainability Coordinator Jeff Vredenburg walked The Bay Park property for hours with state officials pointing out areas of our future blue-green park in need of resiliency and protection. And consultants with Sasaki, Cummins-Cederberg and Kimley-Horn played important roles. Thank you!

Phase I of The Bay is well underway with the Mangrove Bayou Walkway open for all to stroll and a new kayak/canoe launch also is available. Thirty beautiful royal palms were recently added along Boulevard of the Arts and it was just announced The Bay has been certified as a Green Business Partner with Sarasota County – bravo! Scheduled activities abound at the park, from family movie night to nature tours to yoga. Keep up with the latest updates by subscribing to The Bay's e-newsletter.

Reminder: Today is the first Friday of the month, so a lot of activities will be going on in downtown this evening: Sip and Shop (Main St.: 5 to 8 p.m.), Palm Ave. First Friday Gallery Walk (Palm Ave.: 6 to 9 p.m.) and Fresh Fridays (Selby Five Points Park: 7 to 10 p.m.) “Love is in the Air” is this month’s Fresh Fridays theme and I’ve been invited to renew wedding vows for two pre-selected lovebirds. Wish us all luck. Hope to see you downtown tonight!

Sincerely,

Erik Arroyo
Mayor

News and Updates

Public Art Recommendation – Fruitville Roundabout

"Dwell" by Sujin Lim

The Public Art Committee, a City Commission advisory board comprised of seven citizens, unanimously selected “Dwell” by Sujin Lim last week as its recommended artwork for the U.S. 41-Fruitville Road roundabout. The City’s call to artists/request for qualifications resulted in 143 artist responses, three of which were selected to be presented to the Public Art Committee. Sujin Lim’s presentation materials can be reviewed here.

The Public Art Committee’s recommendation will be presented to the City Commission, which will make a final decision. Currently, that discussion is scheduled for the March 7 City Commission meeting and we anticipate it will be a robust discussion.

The City’s extensive public art collection is funded through developer contributions.

Scooter/Bike Sharing

We’re only about a month away from the debut of some exciting new micro-mobility transportation options for our city! The City Commission has unanimously approved an agreement with national e-scooter and bike sharing provider Veo to bring these rental vehicles to Sarasota. We’re working on identifying areas throughout the city where scooter and bike corrals will be located. Once we launch, about 350-400 scooters (both seated and stand-up) and 50-75 bicycles (traditional and pedal-assisted) will initially be available for rent. We’ve taken our time with the launch of this program to learn from other cities’ growing pains with bike and scooter sharing, and our staff has done its due diligence to choose a reputable micro-mobility company with a proven track record of success. Veo operates in 35 other cities, including St. Petersburg, and has committed to maintaining a Sarasota-based staff that will be responsive to our needs and ensure that the bikes and scooters are operable and placed where they belong when not in use. We plan to use digital geofencing technology to ensure that bikes and scooters will only operate in safe and appropriate areas of the city.

Rental costs for scooters will be $1 to unlock them via a mobile app, and 37 cents per minute. Bike rentals will be 50 cents per half hour. Through its Veo Access program, the company also offers discounted rates to low-income users who qualify. And there’s no cost to the City for this service - Veo is paying the infrastructure costs to prepare the bike and scooter corrals, and the City will receive a share of the company’s revenues as part of the two-year agreement.

We look forward to sharing more information when the scooters and bikes are ready to roll – stay tuned!

eComments

Did you know you can easily share input on upcoming City Commission agenda items via an online tool called eComments? For those who have been using it – good news! The word count recently was increased to allow comments up to 2,500 characters or approximately 400 to 500 words.

Once a meeting agenda is published on the City’s website, you can review the materials, choose your position on an item (oppose, neutral, support) and share your comments. Items which can be commented on are clearly marked, including a closing date and time for eComments (72 hours prior to the meeting). The input is collected and presented to City Commissioners prior to the meeting and becomes part of the public record. It’s one more way the Office of the City Auditor and Clerk is encouraging community participation by making the process easy and convenient. Thank you!

In-person comment can still be provided in the Commission Chambers at City Hall, 1565 First Street, and also by Zoom (please email Clerk@SarasotaFL.gov by Friday before the meeting for instructions).

For more information contact Clerk@SarasotaFL.gov or call 941-263-6222.

Community Surveys

You're invited to participate in two online surveys that are currently open to all regarding two important issues:

Homeless Prevention

Where are the greatest needs within the current homeless prevention system in Sarasota? Our Office of Housing and Community Development, a joint venture with Sarasota County, would like your input on the matter. OHCD will receive over $3 million in federal dollars for homeless prevention from HUD’s Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP). This funding is intended to help those who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, fleeing domestic violence, veterans, stalking or human trafficking victims, and other vulnerable populations. The goal is to reduce homelessness and boost housing stability by providing rental housing, rental assistance, supportive services and non-congregate shelter. The survey should take just a few minutes to complete and is open through Feb. 15. Take the survey.

Complete streets

The City is planning to reimagine Boulevard of the Arts and 10^th Street as “complete streets,” and we’d like to hear your ideas through a brief survey.

A complete street is an age-friendly design that promotes safe travel to and from your destination, whether you are walking, biking, riding transit or driving your vehicle. A complete street is also accessible to every person who utilizes it and provides a sense of place for the community. Each complete street is unique to the community and can include different features like enhanced sidewalks, street lighting, benches, street trees and landscaping, public art, and more.

The survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete and will be available until 5 p.m. on Feb. 28. This is the first of several opportunities to gather citizen input that can be incorporated into the conceptual design for these two corridors.

We hope you take a few moments to take these surveys. The results will help staff shape future plans for our community.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Van Wezel

If you’re still looking for something to do on Valentine’s Day, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has you covered!

On Monday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.,the Van Wezel will present a celebration of the iconic music of Broadway and more. The Four Phantoms in Concert brings together four Phantoms from the Tony Award-winning The Phantom of the Opera for an unforgettable night of entertainment. The Four Phantoms features an extraordinary quartet of performers, including Brent Barrett, John Cudia, Franc D’Ambrosio and Ciarán Sheehan under the music supervision of two-time Grammy Award winner David Caddick and music direction of Ryan Shirar. They also are joined by special guest Kaley Ann Voorhees, one of the youngest sopranos to sing the role of Christine on Broadway.

Seven-time Grammy winner Gladys Knight returns to the Van Wezel on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. She has enjoyed #1 hits in Pop, Gospel, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. Known for hits such as “You and I Ain’t Nothin’ No More,” “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “If I Were Your Woman” and “That’s What Friends are For,” Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over her 50+ year career in the entertainment industry.

Visit VanWezel.org for more information and to buy tickets.