By DOUG SWORD
Published: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Many Improvements ahead for Siesta Public Beach
Sarasota's favorite beach is getting more parking, a bigger concession area, a "grand palm plaza" at its entrance and a long list of other improvements that will cost at least $4 million. The biggest new feature for Siesta Public Beach aims at limiting storm water and reducing pollution flowing into beach waters, perhaps lessening the chances for a repeat of last summer's beach closing caused by high levels of fecal coliform. This would be done by revamping the drainage system in what will become a tree-dotted parking lot with a new surface that allows water to drain into an underground filtration system.
Beachgoers should not expect to see any improvements in the parking situation anytime soon, as no major parking-related changes are expected to take place before the next tourist season. But 50 parking spaces will be added to the 822-space lot sometime during the expected five-year life of the project. Parking is the park's most visible problem. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports frequent altercations over parking spaces during the tourist season. A "concept plan" for the park approved Tuesday by county commissioners includes a complete redesign of the parking lot with the addition of a roundabout for dropping off and picking up beachgoers. Also in the works is a proposed Siesta Key Trolley that would make use of reserved space on the roundabout to bring public transit users practically to the sand. And the park's smoldering lot would be cooled off by the addition of trees and the replacement of asphalt with brick or other pervious surfaces that will allow water to drain into that underground system.
The plan has the support of local residents, who particularly like the greening of the parking lot and other environmental improvements, said Lourdes Ramirez, president of the Siesta Key Association. "We want to be on the forefront of creating the most environmentally conscious beach around," Ramirez said. At the moment, only a concept plan exists. A timetable for construction will be put together later this year after a design firm is hired. As part of the 1-percent surtax voters approved last year, $1 million was put aside to design the project and $3 million for construction. Another $2 million was approved for Siesta Key beach projects such as access lots, and some of that might end up being spent on this project as well.
Parks Director John McCarthy expects this summer to pick a design firm that will put together precise cost estimates and determine the sequence for the projects. McCarthy expects to begin construction late this year on some smaller projects, such as moving the maintenance shed behind the nearby fire station which would make way for a new south end exit from the parking lot. With tourist season and the May-to-October turtle nesting season off limits, much of the construction would be done toward the end of each year. Besides the net gain of 50 spaces by paving a new area on the beach side of the tennis courts, McCarthy said he expects drainage improvements will make more land available to create more parking spaces.
.jpg)
