©
DECEMBER 2022 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA, LLC
Landings’ Volunteers Who Work For You
TENNIS SOCIAL
A party with plenty of swing
page
4
David Osborn and Allison Taylor, Nature Trail Committee Co-chairs
This is the fifth in a series of articles highlighting the work of special volunteers THE PHOTO SHOP who help to make The Landings such a wonderful community. The Eagle interviewed David Osborn and Allison Taylor, Co-Chairs of the LMA Nature Trail Committee Our community is blessed with talented residents who donate their time and expertise to The Landings community. David and Allison are prime examples. Both have brought their talents as engineers for the benefit of our community. David worked in the oil and gas industry and currently works with Florida Power Street photography and Light. He received several engineering design awards while living in Texas and page while working in several countries abroad. He currently is designing underground infrastructure for FPL to harden their RESIDENT PROFILE capacity to withstand major storms such as the ones we have recently experienced in Florida. Allison is also an engineer who started out in Houston in the oil and gas industry and later went into software and aerospace design. Prior to retirement she was involved in technology sales. Both have been married previously and met each other in Houston where Allison was from originally. David grew up in Rockford, Illinois. David Earl Tomkins, athlete extraordinaire has 5 children and 5 grandchildren from a previous marriage. He had visited Sarasota many years ago and enjoyed the fishing and page West Florida lifestyle. When they decided to move from Texas, in September of 2020, they looked at Naples GOING TO THE DOGS and Sarasota and determined that they liked the small town feel with big town amenities that Sarasota offered. It was the biggest little town they had seen. Allison said they wanted to avoid beach communities which were big spring break destinations. David, an avid fisherman, wanted to be close to the water. When
10
12
Meet Kip
page
page
they saw The Landings, and the view from their new condo, they were hooked. They liked the charm of the community, its proximity to the beach, the security of a gated community, the gazebo fishing spot within walking distance, the wonderful landscaping and tropical feeling. They felt like The Landings was one big park. When asked why and how they got involved with LMA, Allison was quick to say that she had lived in a condo community before and knew that it was important to get involved. She joined the board of her Landings South VII Association and soon thereafter inquired as to how she and David could get involved with LMA. Then President, Norman Olshansky, appointed them as co-chairs of the nature trail committee and they got right to work. Their first project was to repair and rebuild the bridge from the Treehouses to the Cloisters along the nature trail. David jumped right in, did the design work and together they hired a contractor to do the construction. They also were able to expand the stairs at the gazebo to keep them from being under water at high tide. In addition, they added gravel to build up the trail in areas that frequently have tidal flooding. They expanded the number of kayak racks and have turned over the kayak committee to Jackie Massari. They indicated that there is still some cleanup to do following Hurricane Ian and hopefully, a way to finally deal with the remaining flooding problems on the trail. They are looking forward to working with the Kayak committee to find a way to install a kayak launch and add new racks. We are truly blessed to have two talented volunteer engineers who have devoted their time to enhance the nature trail for all of us to enjoy. They are committed to maintaining and enhancing the trail, which is one of our most prized assets in The Landings.
Do you or someone you know, who owns property in The Landings, have an interest in helping the community prepare for the future and represent the interests of our residents. We have a wonderful community which has been under the excellent guidance of the LMA Board. This is your opportunity to make a difference. This year there will be 5 of the 9 board positions up for election which takes place on February 2nd. To be considered, candidates must indicate their interest in running for election by December 10th. Contact Cali Lampton, Nominating Chairperson (941-266-1889 or email her at calilampton@gmail.com) for more information or to indicate your interest in being a candidate. All candidates will have an opportunity to meet with and be interviewed by the association presidents on January 9th at 6 p.m. Photos and bios of all the candidates will be published in the January Eagle LMA Board members are elected by Association Presidents who each have a proportion of votes based on the size of their association.
Halloween was some scary fun!
All Hallows’ Eve was quite the party at The Landings this year. For more pictures from the event, go to pages 18 and 19.
16 Free College Returns to The Landings
KIDS CORNER
Mason Schaeffer, 3
LMA Seeking Candidates for Board of Directors
21
God’s in his heaven—all is right with the world! In the virtual absence of COVID-19, The Landings Free College will resume its regular schedule this year. We emphasize the word free; there is no charge. Ralph Ricapito and Irv Kushner are assembling an array of outstanding, interesting speakers once again. Classes will be held on Thursdays at 2:30 p.m., January through March, as in previous years. Here’s the program so far: Jan 5th.: Irv Kushner will kick the season off by telling us about Two Gun Cohen; a Chinese General. Wouldn’t you just love to know what that’s all about? Hear about an extraordinary life. Jan 12th: John Bruno emeritus Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and
Kushner
Brady
Psychiatry at The Ohio State University, gave us a terrific talk about Parkinson’s disease last year. This year, his topic will be The Neuroscience of Depression and Anxiety: Two Sides of The Same Coin
By Irv Kushner
Cacic
Ricapito
Jan 19th: Dr. Michael P. Crosby President and CEO of the Mote Marine Laboratory and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Beth Continued on p.14