STICKNEY POINT BRIDGE MAINTENANCE PLANNED
Beginning Sunday, March 14, the Stickney Point Bridge will undergo maintenance that is expected to take approximately 10 nights, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
One lane of the bridge in each direction will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. while the work is completed, a DOT news release says.
The maintenance is to be done on the bridge deck.
CITY’S PARTICIPATION IN CENSUS ENCOURAGED
With the distribution of federal and state dollars at stake, City of Sarasota officials are encouraging every resident to participate in the U.S. Census.
City officials hope the rate will increase from the last census, in 2000, when the participation rate within the city was 67 percent. In the state of Florida, it was 68 percent, while the national participation rate was 72 percent.
"Every person counted within the City of Sarasota will have a direct impact on how much federal funding the city receives," said Mayor Richard Clapp. "The questionnaire is quick, simple and confidential. By spending 10 minutes to fill it out, you will help determine $400 billion in federal funding allocations until the next census is taken in 2020."
Sales tax and gas tax revenue, plus other types of revenue sharing, are also based upon population, the release notes. Further, the count impacts the number of seats a state holds within the U.S. House of Representatives.
A brief, 10-question form will be delivered to every household by mid-March. Each person is asked to fill it out and return it in the enclosed pre-paid envelope. Those residents who do not mail in a completed 2010 Census will be visited at their homes by a census taker.
All responses are confidential.
April 1 is Census Day. All responses throughout the nation will be based on circumstances that day. To learn more about the 2010 Census, visit www.2010.census.gov.
To track the participation rate within the City of Sarasota visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/
COUNTY’S BIG TRUCK DAY SET FOR MARCH 13
Trucks, construction equipment and even a "superhero’s vehicle" will be on display at Sarasota County’s 14th Annual Big Truck Day, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 13, at Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail.
The event is free and open to the public.
Big Truck Day will open with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office helicopter landing on the grounds to welcome the fans. Every kind of truck, including dump trucks, fire trucks, pay-loaders, buses, bucket trucks and other heavy equipment, will be available for viewing. Fan favorite "Green Machines" returns, featuring several hybrid-powered vehicles, including many from the county’s fleet or from local auto dealerships.
In addition to checking out all the big trucks, children can have fun in a craft area and get temporarily tattooed. Concessions will be available for purchase.
For more information, contact the county at 861-5000 or visit www.scgov.net.
GRANTS OFFERED FOR STUDENT ELECTION HELPERS
Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent is urging local institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations to apply for available grant funds to be used to recruit and train college students to work at the polls in the 2010 primary and general elections, scheduled for Aug. 24 and Nov. 2, respectively.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has announced the availability of $750,000 in grant money for three-year awards to recruit, train and support college students to assist in the administration of elections, according to a news release. The grants are authorized by the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Dent, who has had an active student poll worker recruitment program in Sarasota County since 2002, said engaging young people in the electoral process "is an invaluable civics lesson but also brings important strengths to the polling process.
"Students tend to be comfortable with computers and other new technologies that are being used more and more at the polls," she said in the release. "They have the energy and enthusiasm to get through a 14-hour day and interact well with our more experienced poll workers."
To be eligible for grant funds, a college, university or organization must work in partnership with state and local election officials. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31.
More information about the EAC grant and eligibility requirements is available at www.eac.gov/program-areas/grants.
COUNTY SEEKING COMMENTS
ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO COMP PLAN
Staff from Sarasota County Planning Services will conduct two public workshops this week to discuss proposed amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan.
The workshops will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11, at the Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice, and on Saturday, March 13, in Room 3 at the Sarasota County Operations Center, 1001 Sarasota Center Blvd.
The proposed changes to the comprehensive plan that will be discussed at the two workshops follow:
• Amending the future land use chapter to add definitions of intensities for the commercial center and major employment center designations to promote mixed uses and smart growth principles.
• Amending the transportation chapter to add standards to guide future transit services.
• Amending the required and desired levels of service standards established by comprehensive plan policies.
In addition, a site-specific amendment will be discussed at the March 13 meeting, although staff will be available to discuss the amendment with interested persons at the March 11 workshop. That amendment would change the future land use designation from government use to rural use for a property owned by the city of Sarasota south of Fruitville Road, east of Interstate 75.
A fifth proposed amendment that seeks to encourage job growth in clean technology industries and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from various land uses will be discussed at a March 20 workshop.
The purpose of the workshops is to explain the proposed amendments and gather any comments or suggestions regarding the changes. Each workshop will begin with presentations about the proposed amendments followed by questions and answers. Public hearings before the Sarasota County Planning Commission and the Sarasota County Commission on the proposed amendments will occur in late spring and early summer, according to a county news release.
For more information, call the Sarasota County Call Center at 861-5000 and ask for Planning Services.
COMMUNITY BENEFIT FOR HAITI TO BE HELD AT RIVERVIEW HIGH
Local performers and charities are organizing a three-hour benefit at Riverview High School on Sunday, March 14, to help Haiti, which is still reeling from the devastating earthquake it suffered on Jan. 12.
Reports on March 1 placed the expected death toll beyond 200,000. Millions still live in tents while untold numbers are injured, sick, hungry or thirsty.
"We have to help them," says Katt Hefner in a press release. The Sarasota singer has been working to coordinate "Reach Out and Touch Haiti," set for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday in the new Riverview Performing Arts Center at One Ram Way. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for college students, and $6 for those of high school age and under.
"It seems as if people were just waiting for an opportunity to help," Hefner says. "Everybody we asked was enthusiastic about participating. They are all donating their services."
Those performing will be actors from the Asolo Repertory Theatre and Golden Apple Dinner Theatre, the Haitian Jazz Band (featuring Caleb Joseph), Katt Hefner Group, Kenny Drew Jr., Lillette Jenkins, Riverview High School Jazz Big Band, Sarasota Ballet, Todd Heffner, Twinkle and West Coast Black Theater Troupe (with excerpts from their sold-out show "Soul").
Proceeds from the "Reach Out and Touch Haiti" benefit will be divided among three charitable organizations: Hearts Afire, a Sarasota-based mission that provides medical relief through its Haiti Relief Project 2010; ShelterBox, the only international disaster relief organization that provides shelter and lifesaving equipment after natural and manmade disasters; and CRUDEM (Center for the Rural Development of Milot), the Haitian-based foundation that has operated Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Haiti since 1968.
The event is presented under the auspices of Sarasota’s Harvest Tabernacle, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Among the guest speakers/presenters will be Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason; Henry Lawrence, former Oakland Raider; Tom Harmening of CRUDEM/Hôpital Sacré Coeur; Jim McCloud, president/CEO of Genesis Health Services Inc.; Dr. Vilma Vega, co-founder of Hearts Afire; and Pastor Jim Minor of Harvest Tabernacle.
"Mending Hearts," a mixed-media wall sculpture by Richard Sassone, will be offered in a silent auction to benefit the cause, Heffner says. "We also welcome donations from corporations and individuals."
The event will begin with a "Show-and-Tell" reception from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. During that time, audience members can meet participants and view exhibits, including a tent and survival items from ShelterBox, photos from Haiti taken by Hearts Afire representatives and the sculpture "Mending Hearts." The silent auction for this piece of art begins at 3:15 p.m. and continues through the afternoon. Performances will run from 4 to 6 p.m.
Tickets will be available at the door; they may be purchased in advance through www.boxofficesrq.com.
For further information, contact Hefner at 306-8574 or katthef2@hotmail.com.