Hopefully, Manatee County is about to rain transparency

The weather report for Sept. 6 remained somewhat sketchy.

If you live in the Lakewood Ranch area, and Music on Main is on your radar, that can be disconcerting. 

Those late summer afternoon thundershowers can wipe out the most noble of plans.

So outdoor events can be hard to come by.

Does it have to be that way?

Thinking about Music on Main and a possible cancellation due to weather got me thinking — connecting the dots so to speak — about the lack of summer events in East County and possible solutions.

Before talking about solutions, I want to stress that Schroeder-Manatee Ranch does a great job in providing us with the few summer events we do have. Music on Main attracts thousands of people when the event can survive the rain, and more specifically, the lightning.

As an aside before talking about solutions, please note that the Sept. 6 Music on Main benefits the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation, so please, please, please plan to attend and support the cause even if it means braving a bit of rain. Any threat of dangerous weather conditions — lightning — always cancels the event. But plan on attending unless you hear otherwise.

It would be easy for SMR to cancel all the summer Music on Mains. Doing so would avoid the aggravation of setting up the stage and everything needed for the event, only to see it cancelled at the last moment. Thankfully, that is not the case for SMR.

SMR also runs its Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch year round, which has been a success, even during the hottest months. In addition is the live music at Waterside Place, on Fridays and Saturdays, and movie nights. When it comes to events, SMR does more than its share.

OK, so back to how my mind works.

When I think of rain and the possible cancellation of Music on Main due to weather, I think of transparency, or lack of, in Manatee County providing indoor facilities as part of its growth.

Wouldn't it be great to have an indoor facility in East County that would serve the community with a place for summer, as well as all-season, events?

Perhaps Manatee County is, indeed, working on such a facility for the future, but it would be nice if the county's commissioners or planners would inform the residents about their plans.

As it is, we are kept in the dark.

Since the beginning of 2024, we have been teased with some county officials insisting that a future event center is on its way. Supposedly a nondisclosure agreement has been struck between a private company/companies to build an event center that our area so badly needs.

But does this have to be a secretive process?

The fear for me is that the planning process is well down the road before the residents learn about the project so we can offer our feedback. The county acts as our parents, serving up what is good for us.

When District 5 Commissioner Ray Turner ran for reelection to his office, he campaigned on the promise of pushing the county to be transparent in the future. He agreed the county fell short of keeping residents informed about important projects. I applauded such an effort.

He was defeated by Republican Robert McCann in the primary so whether McCann or NPA Joseph Di Bartolomeo align themselves with the more transparency agenda remains to be seen. I hope so. 

What could be more important than an indoor facility that could host summer events, concerts, athletic events, agricultural events, non-profit events and large gatherings?

Lakewood Ranch should be as ripe with events in August as it is in April.

But here we are, with little to no information about park amenities supposedly headed to Premier Park since land was purchased in 2018. 

With a new makeup of the Manatee County Commission on the way, can't we please treat the residents as partners in the planning process?

Premier Park is just one example about how the lack of transparency plagues our county. Consider the "deferred list" of road projects that the Manatee Commission will vote upon Sept. 17.

The suggested list came to the public's attention in August, but more as a list than as consumable information. We learned that deferred projects would mean a slight delay, perhaps, in several important East County projects, and be more of an accounting adjustment than anything.

This would be a great time for county officials to talk about possible delays in simple to understand terms for the residents. Such a delay for a certain project would mean this exact delay, as opposed to the former date. It's just nice to know.

Instead, we are told that none of the projects being considered for the deferred list can be talked about, by county officials, until commissioners approve the budget on Sept. 17. That, however, to me, seems to be the perfect time, before the budget is passed, to offer feedback. That's before commissioners decide the projects' fate.

Voters have discovered their power to make changes in the way Manatee County does business. Hopefully they push their elected officials to do a better job of keeping us informed.

Whether it comes to road projects or an events center in East County, we would at least before informed, and be able to offer our opinions.