Sarasota Livin'

Traffic Calming
by Joe Moraca

The Southeast Sarasota Traffic Calming and East Avenue Beautification Project has been completed for close to four years. This is a good time to look back and assess what it has done for the Arlington Park Neighborhood as we are slated to review traffic issues again next year.

The project started with Jack Gadsby making a presentation at the City Commission meeting on April 21, 1997. After that meeting the Commissioners asked their staff to work with the neighborhood to create a task force to review items that were discussed at the Commission meeting.

The South East Sarasota Task Force was established and had its first organizational meeting on May 12, 1997 with City staff. Those present discussed creating three committees to look at Code Enforcement, Crime, and Street Improvements / Traffic Calming. An agenda was set for the first full task force meeting on June 24, 1997.

That first meeting included the Chief of Police, the City Engineer and several other city staff. A large group of neighborhood residents divided themselves into the three committees along with city staff. Each group discussed what they would work on, when they would meet and elect chairpersons.

Code Enforcement – Doug Jones
Crime – Kevin and Tammy Kisz
Traffic Calming – Joe Moraca and Sharon Jones

That first Traffic Calming group included 17 residents and 4 city staff lead by Asim Mohammed the Assistant City Engineer. The group decided to meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

By the end of July the committee had adopted short term and longer term priorities including:
Lower speed throughout the neighborhood to 25 mph
Work on neighborhood aesthetics for East Ave.
Sidewalks and curbs
US 41 crossing
and developing a baseline study of traffic patterns

Things were beginning to happen. Lists of small maintenance problems were being developed by the neighborhood and being fixed by city staff. The county agreed to lower the speed limit on several streets that were in both the city and county. The committee also began discussing improvements to Arlington Park.

Our meetings were examples of concerned citizens and city staff going the extra mile to put together a project that everyone could be proud of. Everyone didn't always agree and there are several stories I won't tell here... but the process was well done and something I am very proud to have had the opportunity to be involved with. For those of you that don't know, our current Mayor Richard Martin lived on Arlington Street and was an important part of our committee.

The committee continued meeting and discussing neighborhood issues. Consensus was developed and a multi-phase project plan was adopted in early 1998. The neighborhood association published a small newspaper that was distributed to the entire neighborhood that included details of the plans and meeting dates.

This plan was presented to the City Commission on April 20, 1998 and a public viewing of the plans was held on April 27th 1998. The $248,000 proposal was unanimously adopted by the City Commission who asked city staff to complete the project ASAP. A request for proposal was sent out by the end of May, 1998.

Then the bottom dropped out of our project! Circuit Judge Robert Bennett ruled that speed tables do not conform to Florida law. The city appealed the ruling and eventually had the case overturned. But this was not settled for well over a year and the construction phase of our project did not start until early 2000. This was a very frustrating time for all of us involved, but there was really little that could be done except allow the legal and political processes to finish.

In February 2000 our project was programmed to now cost close to $600,000. This included speed tables, sidewalk and curb construction on East Ave, water / sewer construction, road resurfacing and street trees. Construction started and was completed over the course of several months.

Since completion most of the comments about the project have been very positive. Many residents have been asking for further traffic calming on their streets. We hope to be able to address these concerns next year.

Looking back four plus years our neighborhood has been well served by this project. Property values have increased with many home owners investing in their homes instead of moving. With the Arlington Park renovations that are currently underway local government has again invested in our neighborhood.

Our neighborhood association continues to work together with local government, the business community and neighbors to continue making Arlington Park a great place to live.