PelicanPress SIESTA KEY
AN OBSERVER NEWSPAPER
FREE • Thursday, OCTOBER 4, 2012
SEASON XX
DIVERSIONS Dr. Allison Silver Schwartz is a key player this season. INSIDE
OUR TOWN
step up
Look inside for your guide to the fall arts and social events. SEASON INSIDE T h e O b s e r v e r ’ s G u i d e T O T h e A r T s A n d s O c i e T y | FA L L 2 0 1 2
SPORTS
Sarasota Scullers’ Victor Garguan shows dedication. pAGE 15A
by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor
Road in line for FEMA funds Siesta property owners near the eroded Beach Road want a long-term fix, which could cost $800,000 to $1 million.
+ Key concerts begin again St. Boniface Episcopal Church will kick off its seasonal “Sundays at Six” concert series at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7. Andrew Kemp, principal trumpet with Sarasota Opera Orchestra, will join St. Boniface Minister of Music Neil Page to present the program featuring Kemp on the trumpet and Page on the organ. The concert is free thanks to the Boniface Friends of Music. For more information about the concert series, visit bonifacechurch.org.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection expedited and issued a permit to Sarasota County to stabilize part of a sinking Siesta Key street. The project was completed in September. But just south of the fresh asphalt on Beach Road, property
owners are facing a similar situation. Above-average choppy Gulf of Mexico conditions Oct. 2 sent seawater into driveways and yards. The consistently high surf has forced some to carve landscaping away from the east side of the road, said Jean Furlong, who manages a nearby property
owned by John Roberti. Sarasota County stacked sand bags on the cracked street Oct. 3, after County Commissioner Nora Patterson forwarded Furlong’s concerns to staff members. They
SEE ROAD / PAGE 2A
PET PRAISE Rachel S. O’Hara
Associate Rector Andi Taylor blesses Baby, 6, during the animal blessing Sunday, Sept. 30, at St. Boniface Episcopal Church. For more photos, see page 19A.
+ Vote for your favorite IRE photo! Voting has begun for the annual “It’s Read Everywhere” online photo contest. Visit YourObserver.com and click on the “Contests” tab in the upper-right hand corner to vote for your favorite travel photo. The grand-prize winner will receive two $500 travel vouchers; first-place winners of each publication will receive one $350 travel voucher. Voting ends at midnight Wednesday, Oct. 31. The winners will be announced in the “Welcome Back” issue in November.
expanding palate
by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor
Work starts on new Village restaurant A contractor is gutting the interior of the former Total Tennis to make way for Eat Here. The departure of one Siesta Key Village mainstay will bring a newcomer that is already a popular mainland eatery. Total Tennis moved to a new location on Bee Ridge Road after spending 35 years on Siesta Key, and restaurant Eat Here is expected to take its place at 240 Avenida Madera. This will be the
third Eat Here, with current locations in operation in downtown Sarasota and Anna Maria Island. Sarasota County zoning staff is reviewing a building permit application for more than $300,000 of work at the location. Sarasota County zoning staff approved an alternative parking plan for 52 spaces to allow the restaurant to
open in the Siesta Key Overlay District, because nearby businesses close before 5 p.m., which is when Eat Here’s hours would begin. Smith Architects, Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp. Director Mark Smith’s company, will oversee the design of the new restaurant, which will be similar to the downtown location. The current plan is for 150 restaurant seats, Smith said.
“It’ll be fun,” Smith said. “They have a formula and it works.” Smith said Beyond Design, the contractor doing renovations, expects to finish work in time for the restaurant to open in December — just as tourist season begins. Beyond Belief also did construction for Sun Garden Café, a restaurant next-door, he said.
SEE EAT HERE / PAGE 2A
INDEX Briefs....................4A Classifieds ........ 26A
Cops Corner....... 12A Crossword.......... 25A
Opinion .............. 8A Real Estate........ 23A
Sports................ 15A Vol. 43, No. 10 | Three sections YourObserver.com Weather............. 25A