bserver O Happy Fourth of July!
EAST COUNTY FREE • THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEIGHBORHOOD
East county residents let the good times roll at cajun feast. PAGE 17
OUR TOWN
+ Fawn-d moment East County resident Julie Kean recently captured this photo of two fawns resting on Legacy Boulevard, near the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club’s tennis and fitness center.
EN ROUTE
SpiritDIVERSIONS of America
REAL ESTATE Construction starts on new senior facility. PAGE 3
XXX XXX The American EXXXX. xperience SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE INSIDE
transportation
by Pam Eubanks | Managing Editor
by Pam Eubanks | Managing Editor
TAKING
A NEW DIRECTION
+ Troop bakes up fun Girls in Girl Scout Troop 764 have been hard at work. The girls recently donated more than 400 homemade dog treats and 200 hand-sewn catnip toys to the Humane Society of Sarasota County. This is the third year troop members have donated to a local animal rescue. They previously donated to the Lakewood Ranch Humane Society and Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue.
+ Vitale earns more accolades The last few weeks have been special for Lakewood Ranch resident and Hall of Famer Dick Vitale. On June 13, Vitale’s alma mater, Seton Hall University, recognized him with its Humanitarian Award. Eleven days later, the American Cancer Society honored him in New York City with the Eugene D. O’Kelly Award. And on June 28, the National Association of Basketball Coaches presented Vitale with the prestigious Court of Honor Award. “It humbles me big time because no one can get awards of this stature unless you are part of a great team,” Vitale says. “My family, my ESPN family and friends are all vital to any success I’ve had in life and they share these awards with me.”
Summerfield resident Kendra Keiderling wants to become known as the “SCAT girl.”
Courtesy photo
In her new role, Lakewood Ranch’s Kendra Keiderling takes on the task of rebranding Sarasota County’s public transit system. SARASOTA — For the last month, Kendra Keiderling has jumped from one new task to the next. The Lakewood Ranch resident not only has been learning her new role as the public outreach and marketing coordinator for Sarasota County Area Transit, but she’s also been laying the groundwork to reshape how people think about public transportation. “I don’t have a normal day yet, and I love it,” Keiderling said. “I want to be known as the SCAT girl.” Keiderling may still be learning the ins and outs of public transit, but she’s already well on her
way to reeducating the public about its benefits — benefits she expects to experience firsthand when traveling to the airport, the beach or downtown Sarasota. She, like many people in her target audience, will use public transit by choice, not out of need. “We’re going after the new generation of transit riders — the choice riders, the youth and the students at universities. This is how we change the image,” Keiderling said. “We target the new generation.” On July 12, SCAT rolls out 19 new buses, a new ridership guide, 340 new smartphone-
SEE SCAT / PAGE 9
Public shares concerns on plans Citizens say the I-75/ University design makes sense, but they worry about the timing of improvements. EAST COUNTY — As Lakewood Ranch resident Jay Robbins took a seat next to an aerial photograph showing proposed improvements to the intersection of Interstate 75 and University Parkway, he still couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty. As the Florida Department of Transportation prepares to move forward with construction of a diverging diamond design for the interchange, Robbins and fellow East County residents worry about how construction will impact their day-to-day lives and also how the improvement will affect them long term. “The problem for me is the timing of events — some are decades in the future,” Robbins said. “There’s no way to know how terrible things will be in the interim. The diamond is simple to understand, but if you put it in, how will that impact (other roadwork)?
SEE ROADS / PAGE 12
BY THE NUMBERS 3
The number of years grant funding is available for the University Parkway route
19 Number
of new buses
90 Total number
of buses in SCAT’s fleet
$1,058,042
The grant amount SCAT received from the Federal Transit Administration for the University Parkway route
Pam Eubanks
Helene Levin talks with project engineer Kevin Ingle about the imminent need for alternatives to I-75.
INDEX Building Permits....23 Classifieds ...........25
Cops Corner..........11 Crossword.............24
Neighborhood.......17 Real Estate...........22
Sports...................13 Weather................24
Vol. 16, No. 34 | Two sections YourObserver.com