Save Our Sarasota Has A Birthday

Dear Friends,

This month, Save Our Sarasota is celebrating its First Birthday!

From the very beginning, when concerned citizens filled the Selby Library meeting room to capacity, you told us our primary focus should be saving trees and opposing runaway growth downtown. We are working to meet those challenges. And as issues have arisen a common purpose has become clear---we are protecting public space that is being gifted for development.

The survival of trees on public sidewalks, the massive downtown arcades and three stories of habitable space to be built in the public air rights above the sidewalks, proposed privatization of Five Points Park, the idea of a Conference Center on public bayfront property, the possible vacation of State Street for a regional shopping mall, the taking away of newly planted green space on Lemon Avenue, the intrusion of the porte cochere at 100 Central into the very roadway…and more…ALL are issues of publicly owned space.

If you are interested in any of these issues, please write or call to let us know you want to help. We need more working members, and some of the simplest tasks are important to our success. Planning programs, making phone calls, copying reports, ordering and picking up documents from City Hall….are all valuable help we could use. Knowing your preferences on programs is very important to us. We plan another public meeting this July. Please call Carol Reynolds at 362-9779 to volunteer.

Lastly, we are very proud of our new Save Our Sarasota blog. SRQ Magazine recently cited it as one of the best local blogs. It is an intelligent and lively take on current issues and a daily "must read" for a lot of us. Be sure to look at not only the most current posting, but previous articles and pictures, all cached on the site. It can be accessed at Saveoursarasota.blogspot.com.

We thank you for caring about the future of our wonderful city. We all regret what has been lost, but there is much to save. We all look forward to an even more active "Year Two" for Save Our Sarasota.

Sincerely,
Janice Green
Chair
Save Our Sarasota