Longboat Key News and Sarasota City News encourages Letters to the Editor on timely issues. Please email to: letters@lbknews.com or mail to PO Box 8001, Longboat Key, FL 34228. We also print letters sent to Town Hall that address Longboat Key issues. We reserve the right to edit.
Underground project
To: Longboat Key Town Commission
The Underground project remains on schedule to complete conversions within the month of October. No unforeseen circumstances have arisen nor storms developed that would impact the schedule at this point. FPL is meeting their commitment of streamlined, dedicated switch order processing, and Wilco is delivering on progression of work. Below is a more detailed summary of activity from June 5, 2024 through July 15, 2024:
Phase 2 (North End – Dream Island Road to Longboat Pass Bridge)
All of Phase 2 is operating on the underground system. Seven (7) large concrete poles remain along GMD and ten (10) smaller wooden service poles remain on Dream Island Road. The seven (7) large GMD poles are planned to be removed within the next week. The poles along Dream Island Road transition between project Phases 2 and 4 and will be removed as soon as Comcast cable is down.
Phase 3 (Country Club Shores to County line):
Work completed between 6/5/24 – 7/15/24
Transformers: 70 of 70 energized 100% complete
Service Conversions: 63 remaining to convert, 220 of 283 complete, 78% complete
Switching Orders: 91 of 95 orders complete 96%
27 completed last month:
Loop Orders 24
Renumbering Orders 1
Numbering Orders 1
Reclosure Controls (Safety Shut Off Devices) 1
The only remaining orders are to finish the tie points between phases 1 and 4.
Phase 4 (County line to Dream Island Road)
Work completed between 6/5/24 – 7/15/24
Feeder: 100% energized
Feeder Switch Cabinets: 17 of 17 energized 100% complete
Transformers: 47 of 76 energized 62% complete.
Service Conversions: 0 of 252 0% complete. Transformer energizing to be completed first.
Switching Orders: 20 completed of an estimated 115 orders 17%:
Feeder Orders 2
Loop Orders 9
Renumbering Orders 5
TX Changeout Orders 1
Reclosure Controls (Safety Shut Off Devices) 3
Our next update will be mid-August barring any circumstances that would necessitate an earlier update.
Isaac Brownman
Director Public Works
Town of Longboat Key
Underground project
To: Longboat Key Public Works Director Isaac Brownman
Thanks for this great update, Isaac! Wonderful progress.
Sarah Karon
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Underground project
To: Longboat Key Public Works and Town Manager Howard Tipton
Congratulations on what should be the final page in this remarkable project to totally re-imagine our Longboat Key Comprehensive Plan. Well planned and well executed, this was an enormous effort and a great service to the Town.
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
DEO Response Letter
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Thank you Mayor. In addition to the outstanding work of Allen and his staff in keeping us track, credit here belongs to Chair David Green for his perseverance and leadership in getting us through this massive project. I do not have his personal email or I would forward the letter to him. If it hasn’t already been done, I hope that someone will do so.
David Lapovsky
Longboat Key
Longboat OnDemand Slides
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
It was great talking with you today. Please see the attached slides of the data I shared. Let me know if you have any questions.
Jane H. Grogg
Director
Sarasota County Breeze Transit
Breeze OnDemand
To: Longboat Key Commission
Good morning. Received an update from Sarasota County yesterday on the on-demand transit they’ve been providing since late January. Overall, the Director was pleased with the progress and looking forward to additional promotion in the fall and as we move into next season. The Town will continue to coordinate promotional information about the on-demand system through our channels as well.
Howard N. Tipton
Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Breeze OnDemand
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
Thank you for sharing the Breeze OnDemand report. This is a great start. I expect these numbers will continue to rise as more people discover how easy, economical and efficient it is to use the service.
Penny Gold
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Longboat faces $27 million debt vs. County Library
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
How about using Sarasota County money and Manatee County to help with these important major infrastructure projects instead of building an unnecessary County Library on Longboat, for example.
Necessities before amenities.
Also, how about looking into getting a relative minuscule contribution from the already approved $1.5 trillion in Infra- structure Federal funding?
Longboat Key taxpayers send these Counties and Federal Government a fortune every year. Let’s get some of our tax money back to pay for our important Infrastructure needs and not take on debt and raise Longboat Key taxes.
Bob Gault
Longboat Key
Longboat faces $27 million debt vs. County Library
To: Bob Gault
Thanks for your timely note regarding our upcoming capital expenses and their potential effect on our Town taxes. A few thoughts as we complete the budget process: 1. As far as Longboat Key taxes go, we reduced our millage rate last year and held it steady this year, despite an increase in operating expenses, especially for labor. We continue to have the lowest millage rate of any community in the region. 2. As for the subaqueous pipe and asbestos pipe replacement projects, we have been aware of them and have planned for their financing for years. The Town’s share of these costs is borne by the Town’s water and wastewater enterprise fund, which is financed through water rates and, when necessary, through tax exempt loans and/or bonds that are also paid for through water rate