Unsightly delays for drainage project

The timeline and funding options for the Siesta Key beach improvement project didn’t change after discussion during the final Sarasota County Commission workshop before the 2013 fiscal year budget is adopted. But, new concerns surfaced about the Beach Road drainage improvements that were originally slated to begin this summer.

The $1.13 million project, that calls for the excavation of 26,000 cubic yards of earth adjacent to the baseball field near Siesta Key public beach, may not get a required permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until early next year, which would push construction into the end of tourist season next year.

The “fill” that will be removed to create a large stormwater reservoir will likely end up near Beach Road, and require substantial truck traffic for removal, said Sarasota County Public Works Manager Carolyn Eastwood. Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton said two similar fill sites, one from a private firm and one associatied with county work, have drawn complaints from constituents for being “unsightly.”

Further, the nearly $1 million grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District will expire before construction will start, requiring a meeting with the agency on Aug. 23, to discuss an extension.

For more information on this project and how it will affect the Siesta Key beach improvements, pick up a copy of the Aug. 23 issue of the Pelican Press.