News Briefs

+ North Key beach access to close for groin construction
Equipment for a north-end groin project to control erosion arrived this week.

Contractors will use the Broadway public beach access to unload heavy equipment and move it to a section of the beach access that is not used by the public.

The Broadway beach access will close for a short period that will most likely be less than a day. The North Shore Road beach access will be closed for the duration of the project. Parking will not be allowed along North Shore Road. The road itself will not be closed, but only local traffic for Longbeach Condominium and 360 North condominium will be allowed.

The estimated completion date for the project is June 1, 2015.

+ Longboat Key’s final turtle nest of the season hatches
Longboat Key’s final turtle nest of the season hatched last week; Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium performed the nest excavation.

The hatching came as the 2014 nesting season ended Oct. 31. According to Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, preliminary counts showed 2,459 total nests from Longboat Key to Venice — just 10 nests short of the record-breaking nesting season in 2012. A total of 2,448 loggerhead turtle, nine green turtle, and two Kemp’s ridley turtle nests were found.

+ Town Hall to close for Veterans Day
Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, will be closed Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Solid waste and recycling collection will not be impacted. Town Hall will reopen at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 12. For information, call 316-1999.

+ Town manager authorizes temporary 24/7 construction
Town Manager Dave Bullock has authorized contractors to work 24 hours per day this week to pull an existing drinking water pipe from the north end. The $2.2 million project will replace one of two pipes that supply drinking water to the Manatee County portion of the island.

Meetings & agendas
Consolidated Retirement Board of Trustees Special Meeting — 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7

Town Commission Regular Workshop — 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12

Planning & Zoning Board Meeting — 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18

All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, unless otherwise noted.