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Holiday hours/service: City administrative offices will be closed Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. Garage, recycling and yard waste will be picked up curbside as usual.
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Box Office and all City recreational facilities will be closed for the day. Outdoor parks will be open for all to enjoy.
Parade - Starts at 10 a.m.: The Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee in partnership with the City will host the annual Memorial Day parade starting at 10 a.m. at Main St. and Osprey Ave. This year’s theme is “All Gave Some. Some Gave All." The parade will feature the Sarasota Military Academy band, veterans’ organizations, local dignitaries, public safety agencies and more. It will travel down Main St. to Gulfstream Ave., where a remembrance ceremony will be held in Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park at approximately 11 a.m.
Bay Runner: Due to the parade occurring on Main St., the Bay Runner will offer modified service starting at 8 a.m. from South Lido at Ted Sperling Park to the Ringling Blvd. - Palm Ave. intersection. This abbreviated route will continue until the parade and ceremony conclude approximately after the noon hour, then the regular route will resume.
We hope you can attend these community events or pause during the day to remember those who went before us and made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
The City is hard at work on two projects that will transform some of our local roadways into “complete streets” that can be safely traveled and enjoyed by all.
A complete street is an age-friendly design that promotes safe travel to and from a destination, whether you’re walking, biking, riding transit or driving a vehicle. It’s accessible to all who utilize it and provides a sense of place. 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.
Ringling Trail - Work begins next week on a complete street project for what we’re calling the Ringling Trail – Ringling Boulevard between Pineapple and Lime avenues in downtown Sarasota. Protected bicycle lanes are being added to enhance connectivity from the recently extended Legacy Trail to the downtown core.
Not only will the road be made safer for recreational cyclists and commuters, but we also aim to create a more visitor-friendly experience that translates to economic growth for downtown businesses. We’re adding landscaping and adjusting the signal timing to improve traffic management.
At least one lane of traffic on Ringling is expected to be maintained throughout the duration of construction. Work is expected to be complete in early 2023.
 A rendering of the Ringling Trail complete street.
Boulevard of the Arts and 10th Street - We have plans to create two more complete streets, on portions of Boulevard of the Arts and 10th Street, as well as make improvements to the intersection of Boulevard of the Arts and U.S. 41.
You can check out the draft concepts for these complete streets at two upcoming open houses, to be held Monday, May 23, at the SRQ Media Studio in the City Hall Annex, 1565 First St.:
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3 - 4:30 p.m.: Boulevard of the Arts – west of U.S. 41
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Starting at 5:30 p.m.: Boulevard of the Arts and 10th Street – east of U.S. 41
The designs have already incorporated the feedback we received from more than 1,000 respondents to a community survey about the project conducted this past winter. Citizens can learn more about the designs and share their input at Monday’s open houses. Thank you for playing a part in helping us to transform and improve these corridors for everyone!
Good progress is being made with the solar lighting improvement project along Ben Franklin Drive on Lido Key, even with supply chain issues affecting the availability of some construction materials. Aging street lights, installed 40-50 years ago and requiring extensive maintenance due to electrical outages, are being replaced with modern, energy-efficient solar lights.
The new lights are being installed along the 1.6-mile stretch along Ben Franklin Drive from Washington Drive to the southern terminus at Ted Sperling Park. Crews will finish installing the concrete footings and poles this month and begin the light assemblies next month, with the lighting expected to be operational by the end of June.
In addition to improved efficiency, the solar lights will have a maximum height of 18 feet and will be closer to the ground than traditional lights and will promote safety and environmental sustainability. Plus, the lighting will have an amber tone that is sea turtle friendly.
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The Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) wants to hear from you about multi-use trails and your experience walking and biking in and around the Sarasota region.
Earlier this year, the MPO began studying ways to expand the network of biking and walking trails that will connect to schools, parks, transit stops, essential services, local attractions and other key destinations. The goal is to identify and plan for a multi-use trail from the northern extension of The Legacy Trail in Sarasota to the east of Interstate 75.
Sarasota County’s popular Legacy Trail already sees hundreds of thousands of trips each year, and the City is exploring the feasibility and funding options for constructing a new trail that would stretch from the newly completed terminus of The Legacy Trail at Fruitville Road all the way north to University Parkway and the Manatee County line.
We hope you’ll spend a few moments taking the MPO’s survey and sharing your insights and preferences on walking and biking. Your feedback will be helpful in formulating a regional approach to widening the trail network throughout the Sarasota and Manatee area and bringing multimodal connectivity to more people. Get started and learn more at www.publicinput.com/SarasotaTrailsStudy. The survey closes May 31.
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Approximately 11,000 trees located on City property in parks, and right-of-ways including medians and hurricane evacuation routes are now being inventoried. Crews with ArborPro, the contractor for the City, are conducting the inventory including the species, condition, height, diameter and maintenance needs.
This is the first phase of a $55,000, 3-year grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
In the second and third years, an Urban Forestry Master Plan will be developed, which will include identifying dangerous trees that need to be removed, assessing canopy goals and planting over 100 native trees.
We value trees in our community and greatly appreciate their many benefits from cleaning stormwater, to purifying the air, increasing property values and even reducing stress. For questions about the tree inventory, please reach out to Mark Miller, Senior Arborist: 941-263-6536.
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Friday Fest is back! The free, outdoor summer concert series returns to the Van Wezel with four special shows on the lawn starting June 17.
Opening the series is '60s show band YESTERDAYZE. This high-energy band with great vocals will be recreating favorite Top 40 hits from 1960 to 1969. Featuring classic favorites from The Beatles, The Monkees, The Temptations, The Supremes, Jefferson Airplane, The Rolling Stones, and more, this band will have everyone dancing on their feet by the end of the night!
 The fun continues with Kettle of Fish on July 15. Kettle of Fish plays festival music that features blues, soul, and funk with the energy of rock ‘n roll. Enjoy the beats of Latin, R&B and island dance music when Big Night Out takes the stage on August 12. Closing out the concert series on September 16 will be popular local reggae band Jah Movement.
Bring blankets or lawn chairs, take in the music and the sunset, and enjoy food and beverage from local vendors. Friday Fest takes place “rain or shine.” In the event of inclement weather, the festival will move indoors to the grand foyer or main stage.
For more information, visit VanWezel.org
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