Commission Requests More Info On Ringling Roundabout

1. The City Commission is asking for more information about what a  and Ringling Boulevard.

The commission voted 5-0 Monday for staff to move forward with estimates and exploration of a roundabout there, which could take at least five to six years before it could be funded and constructed.

Staff hasn't dedicated time to examining a roundabout, so the city is only working with ballpark figures, said City Engineer Alex Davis Shaw, so the commission's direction now enables staff to look into the possibility. 

The city needs to replace an aging span-wire traffic light system there that is relatively unstable during high winds and hurricanes, Davis Shaw said.  

The other option would be placing the traffic lights on a mast arm, which would be initially cheaper, but not as friendly for pedestrians as a roundabout would be, she said.

Commissioner Shannon Snyder said he would be interested in parking options on the east and west sides of the roundabout and if the city could finance the construction and pay the state back so it could construct the roundabout on its own schedule to avoid peak season construction. 

2. The opens at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. The grocery store and pharmacy replaces the former Winn-Dixie on the corner of Myrtle and Tamiami Trail. Will you shop at the new Walmart Market? 

3. They're baaaack. today starting at 11 a.m. at Ringling Boulevard and Links Avenue. Discounts will be given today to police, firefighters, EMS workers and military in honor of Sept. 11. 

4. In this edition of injured Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, we have outfielder Nick Markakis coming back to Sarasota to repair a fractured thumb, the Orioles report. Dr. Brian Schofield will perform the surgery. Schofield's office had also handled Markakis' wrist surgery in June.

5. Congrats to Sarasota Patch reader Rebecca Wellborn for winning the Florida Patch $500 grand prize in our ! What does Rebecca plan to do with the $500? “I am going to use the money to convert a section of my front lawn into a Florida Friendly native landscape.”