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AN OBSERVER NEWSPAPER
FEBRUARY2013
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ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE | FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE | RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART SARASOTA BALLET | SARASOTA OPERA | SARASOTA ORCHESTRA
FREE • Thursday, JANUARY 31, 2013
DIVERSIONS
SPECIAL Look inside for the Arts Calendar, a monthly guide to cultural events.
OUR TOWN
BUSINESS
Siesta Key Chamber recognizes business leaders at luncheon. PAGE 3A
gulf gate We explore the area’s culinary world.
complex code enforcement
by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor
County to re-work noise ordinance Sarasota County is scheduling neighborhood workshops to gather input on how to simplify sound regulations.
File photo
Local Musician Chris Otto plays Monday, Jan. 28, at The Local Bean.
+ Sunday jazz The Local Bean will host Afternoon Sunday Jazz at The Bean from 3 to 5 p.m. Sundays starting Feb. 10, at 5138 Ocean Blvd. The Gary DeMichele Trio will perform at the first event of the series, which will continue through the season. The Local Bean also hosts Thursday night house concerts from 7 to 9 p.m. for local musicians to perform. “I wanted to provide a non-alcoholic venue for people to play their music,” said The Local Bean Owner Jen Cortez. “People can just come drink some tea and really listen to the music.”
As the city of Sarasota grapples with how to accommodate live music and residential interests downtown, Sarasota County has started down a similar path for Siesta Key. Siesta Key Association Vice President Peter van Roekens emailed Sarasota county commissioners Jan. 23, to report Blasé Café in Siesta Key Village had consistently exceeded deci-
bel level restrictions outlined in the county code. However, Sarasota County code-enforcement officer Kevin Burns reported that there has only been one citation issued in the Village for violating sound regulations in the last year. But, van Roekens measured C-scale decibels levels. Sarasota County code-enforcement officers and Sarasota sheriff’s depu-
ties measure using the A-scale. The C-scale picks up lower frequencies, like those that come from booming bass. The A-scale picks up frequencies that most affect human hearing, Burns explained. The county has restrictions for both scales, which makes enforcement complex. And some restaurants, such as Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar and the Hub Baja
Grill, have special exceptions for live music past hours dictated in the county code. Although code-enforcement officers decide whether to investigate a noise complaint, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office responds to every noise complaint, and the deputy decides at the site whether to take a sound level reading. “If somebody calls up and says, ‘Hey, my neighbor’s stereo is blasting,’ we’re going to send
SEE NOISE / PAGE 2A
GIMME SHELTER
LIGHTING THE WAY
by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor
SCAT pitches strategic plan County commissioners call for more efficiency from Sarasota County Area Transit but approve the Siesta Key trolley project. For the first time since the newly hired Sarasota County Area Transit General Manager Glama Carter took her position in August, she experienced the tension that often tinges budget discussions of the Sarasota County Commission. On Jan. 29, Carter previewed the department’s operational and capital needs for commissioners ahead of their Feb. 7 budget workshop. The goal of the workshop was to prepare commissioners for 2014 fiscal year budget decisions. That included a discussion about the estimated $1.8 million SCAT will need to run a trolley route through Siesta Key
+ Sweet treats Siesta Key Tropical Wines will offer a wine and chocolate tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 5138 Ocean Blvd. Adults can sample local and imported wines, and children can sample chocolate.
+ Tackle hunger Siesta Key Chapel is hosting the “Souper Bowl of Caring” canned soup drive Sunday, Feb. 3, at 4615 Gleason Ave., to benefit local food banks. Parish members are encouraged to arrive with a can of soup and a dollar.
and newly granted state funding. But, the conversation quickly diverged into an inquisition from commissioners about the cost of bus shelters, which Carter said is between $30,000 and $40,000 for land easements, design and installation, and $4,000 for annual maintenance. Carter said her goal was to install shelters at half of the 2,000 bus stops in the county throughout the next five years. The county currently maintains shelters at 138 stops — that’s less than 1%.
SEE SCAT / PAGE 2A
Courtesy photo
The Siesta Key Chapel often changed the seating for Sunday morning services from straight rows to a circular shape. The chapel’s founder, the Rev. Dr. James Blackwood, wanted members to mingle with each other and not sit in the same seat each week. Read about the history of the chapel on the Neighborhood cover, page 1B.
INDEX Briefs....................4A Classifieds ........ 11B
Cops Corner....... 11A Crossword.......... 10B
Opinion .............. 8A Real Estate.......... 8B
Sports................ 19A Weather............. 10B
Vol. 43, No. 27 | Four sections YourObserver.com