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Work is well underway with the renovation and restoration of our historic municipal golf course, Bobby Jones Golf Club! Crews have been clearing the greens, tees and fairways and preparing for construction, including removing invasive trees and plants and diseased, dead, and declining trees. These trees will be mitigated. Soon the old ponds will be filled and new ponds created, as the canal that runs across the Bobby Jones property is reconfigured. New irrigation and drainage will be installed as well as wetlands, which will help clean stormwater that drains through Bobby Jones from as far north as University Parkway and ultimately into Sarasota Bay.
In partnership with the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, a conservation easement has been agreed upon to preserve the property in perpetuity, with future use limited to recreation and green space -- a truly momentous decision by the City Commission. The ongoing renovation will lay the foundation for a signature nature park on the property.
 We are working closely with the contractor and are optimistic the 18-hole Donald Ross course will open to the public by December 2022, with the renovated 9-hole adjustable course opening shortly thereafter. We look forward to continued progress on this ambitious recreational and environmental improvement project.
We’re seeking a new look for our City seal, and you’re invited to submit your entries in a public design contest that opens May 1.
The current seal debuted back in 1902 when the City was first incorporated. It depicts marine life and coastal imagery and features the words “May Sarasota Prosper.” The seal is different from the City logo (the silhouette of the statute of David) and can primarily be found stamped on official documents.
Last year, the City Commission approved a rebranding effort in partnership with Sarasota’s DreamLarge. As part of the plan, DreamLarge has been asked to oversee this public design contest, which is open to everyone.
 A diverse panel of community members will select the top five seal designs, to be presented to the City Commission later this summer. The entries received, as well as the results of a recent brand survey will be used to inform DreamLarge’s refresh of the City logo later this year.
To submit entries online and view contest guidelines, visit BrandSarasota.com. Entries will be available for viewing by the public online as they are received. Physical entries can be mailed to DreamLarge, 1421 Blvd. of the Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236. The contest closes June 15.
Sarasota is an arts town, and if you needed any more proof, look no further than the Art Ovation Hotel, which this week hosted a prestigious conference for public art professionals from all over the state of Florida.
Sarasota was selected to host the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals annual conference, originally planned to be held back in 2020 but delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference brings together dozens of professional artists and administrators who work in the field of public art to discuss current trends, best practices and highlights of recent installations from around Florida.
Members of our City staff were featured in two conference sessions on Wednesday, with City Engineer Nik Patel participating in a panel discussion about public art in modern roundabouts and Senior Planner Mary Davis Wallace from our Office of Public Art presenting to the group about the ongoing creation of the City’s Public Art Master Plan.
The three-day conference included two thought-provoking sessions that were open to the public. It was also a great opportunity to highlight the City’s vibrant public arts scene. Staff even created an engaging public art audio tour to be enjoyed by not just conference attendees, but anyone from the public at anytime. The audio tour can be found on the Otocast app, available for download on both Apple and Android devices. It highlights a curated section of our downtown Sarasota public works of art, with commentary from the artists themselves. You can also explore the City’s full collection of public art pieces in this virtual tour on the City’s website.
Thank you to the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County for its work in bringing this conference to Sarasota, and kudos to our City staff and the many talented artists (and art lovers) who make our city such a special place.
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We’re approaching those steamy, summer months and now is the time to make sure your roof is ready for the rainy season, and your air conditioning unit will cool you and your family through the summer.
Home repairs can be expensive, but there are opportunities for no interest loans for qualified individuals. If you own your home and qualify as low-income, you may be eligible for a 0% deferred-payment loan for home repairs from the Office of Housing & Community Development.
The OCHD is a a cooperative effort between the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County and serves residents throughout the county.
For more information please visit the OHCD website.
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If you’re a fan of rhythm and blues or rock, you won’t want to miss these two concerts coming to the Van Wezel.
Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs spent his teenage years immersed in the blues, R&B and early rock 'n' roll. He continued to mine a personalized mix of rock, blues and R&B influences, along with a signature style of ballads on such influential '70s albums as Moments, Boz Scaggs & Band, My Time, Slow Dancer and 1976’s Silk Degrees, which became a massive commercial breakthrough, reaching number two and remaining on the album charts for 115 weeks. It spawned three Top 40 hit singles: "It's Over," "Lido Shuffle" and the Grammy-winning "Lowdown." Catch the show on Wednesday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m.
One Night of Queen is a spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of the iconic rock band! In 2000, Gary Mullen won ITV’s Stars In Their Eyes “Live Grand Final.” Gary began touring, and in 2002, formed “The Works” to pay tribute to Queen. Since 2002, Gary Mullen and the Works have performed throughout the UK, USA, Europe, South Africa and New Zealand. See them rock the stage on Saturday, May 7 at 8:00 p.m.
For more information, visit VanWezel.org.
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