Welcome Back: Siesta improvements will debut this season

A large-scale series of improvements at Siesta will be complete and open to the public by Feb. 21, though most of the project will be completed by Jan. 20.

By then, the beach will have renovated parking areas and a new public safety and concessions facility. 

The project was delayed by two months initially, due to heavy rains in fall 2013, according to Brad Gaubatz, Sarasota County manager for capital projects facilities. The project was originally scheduled to be finished before the start of this season. 

Gaubatz said notable changes will include a returning the historic pavilion, built in the 1950s, closer to its original look. From the beach, there will be a better view of the pavilion because scrub vegetation has been cleared from in front of it.

“Now that you see it,” Gaubatz said, “it’s striking.”

Portions of the project that are still underway include the west concessions/public safety building, the historic pavilion and restrooms and the west parking lot. 

Other improvements will include expanded parking, picnic shelters, improved concessions, updated playground and family picnic facilities and a pedestrian esplanade. 

The total number of parking spaces will increase from 837 to 980. 

The Sarasota County Commission approved a guaranteed maximum price of $21.5 million for the project with eight components in August 2013.

Two of those projects — dune walkover replacements and a pavilion — were built into the guaranteed maximum. 

Four more components have been built since then, including paving upgrades, shelters and tree upgrades in the park. 

Now, with approximately $400,000 remaining uncommitted at the end of the project, county staff will propose scrapping additional tree upgrades for the parking lot and swapping wooden picnic shelters for precast concrete structures at the west end of the park. 

Staff would also like to build a covered structure for maintenance equipment if funds remain after construction of the concrete picnic shelters, which would cost approximately $290,000.