Popcorn & Politics. 3
Astheworldterns fear government action. 6
Nesting notes. 26
Missing:
amitW stats as of Sept. 26: 512 of 544 nests hatched, 26,308 hatchlings.
3 billion birds. 27 OCT. 2, 2019 FREE
VOLUME 27, NO. 49
new am commissioner appointed. 3 anna maria discusses ‘misleading’ ads.
Meetings
On the government calendar. evidence prompts review of 10-year-old death at BB motel.
Op-Ed
Opinions.
10-20 YEARS AGO from the archives.
island cities OK tax hikes.
Happenings community activities, announcements.
Save a date.
Streetlife. Lobbyist secures HB contract. county approves record tourism spending. HB puts brakes on bikeshares; enacts fee for monthly rentals. trial set for stilthouse in cortez. football contest.
Gathering. take 5:00: amOB mixes pink benefit. ame, PtO present ‘Literacy night.’ celebrating 100. Soccer tops sports. air temps cool, fish continue to bite.
ISL BIZ:
PropertyWatch. CLASSIFIEDS. nYt puzzle.
The Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
islander.org
Stagnant Holmes Beach lake sparks concerns, stirs action By chrisann Silver esformes islander reporter
People who live on Spring Lake in Holmes Beach are concerned about their health and property values. The lake is suffering. At a Sept. 24 city commission meeting, Eran Wasserman, project manager for LTA engineers, the engineering firm contracted by the city, reviewed the status of the lake following resident complaints of a stench and numerous dead fish after the Sept. 17 activation of an aeration system. The city commission approved the installation of the system to clean the brackish lake between 68th and 70th streets, which accumulated 3 feet of muck after a sewage spill in 2015. About 22,000 gallons of waste poured from a ruptured Manatee County sewer line into the lake. Following testing in March that indicated poor water quality, the city decided to install a system that would generate millions of small air bubbles to circulate and blend the murky, salt- and freshwater mixture and vent harmful gases, allowing more oxygen absorption. Wasserman said Sept. 24 that organic matter in the lake — dead fish and vegetation — breaks down without oxygen, resulting in muck. He said infusing the water with oxygen can break down and release gases and improve the lake water quality.
Phil mcdonald stands on a seawall, pointing to dead fish in the lake Sept. 27 as wife Becky talks about the situation at their Spring Lake home. Stagnant water and dead fish surround an outlet that runs from the southwest corner of Spring Lake under Palm drive to the grand canal — 66th Street — along marina drive in Holmes Beach — but saltwater from the canal no longer flushes the lake. islander Photos: chrisann Silver esformes
PLeaSe See SPRING LAKE, Page 2
Traffic study neglects AMI’s most menacing problem By arthur Brice islander reporter
The traffic problem that drew the most discussion at the latest meeting of the Sarasota/Manatee Barrier Islands Traffic Study steering committee wasn’t even on the final list of solutions. The intersection of Cortez Road and Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach wasn’t included in the ranking because officials have not decided how to improve it, so no one knows how much a fix would cost, Nathan Kautz, Florida Department of Transportation engineer said at the Sept. 27 BITS meeting. Knowing how much it would cost was a requirement to be listed, Kautz said. That wasn’t good enough for Longboat Key Commissioner Jack Daly and Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie. “That intersection represents the most
critical intersection with respect to traffic issues,” Daly said at the meeting, which was held at CrossPointe Fellowship in Holmes Beach. “I’m not being critical, but I am expressing some exasperation.” Daly raised the same concern when the BITS steering committee met in April. Chappie joined Daly in pointing to the intersection at the Sept. 27 BITS meeting. “That intersection is the main problem right there,” he said. “And it’s pretty obvious.” David Hutchinson, executive director of the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, said there are no easy solutions. “There’s not much space there,” he said. “That’s the real problem. That’s a very tough location.” PLeaSe See TRAFFIC, Page 9
Longboat Key commissioner Jack daly, left, with Longboat Key town manager tom Harmer, discusses traffic problems at a Sept. 27 BitS meeting. islander Photo: Sarah Brice