NEWS

4THE SUN ISLAND NEWS

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IN BRIEF

Public hearing to address proposed rezoning

The Bradenton Beach Planning and Zoning Board will host a public hearing on Wednesday, June 15 at 1 p.m. The public hearing pertains to the proposed rezoning of several properties from Highland Avenue west to Gulf Drive, and from Second Street North to Cortez Road. The properties are zoned multi-family residential (R-3) and city staff recommends rezoning them to mixed use (MXD), allowing ground-level commercial uses with residential uses above. Public input will be accepted during the meeting.

Beautification project termination on agenda

The Bradenton Beach City Commission will meet at noon on Thursday, June 16. According to the meeting agenda, the commission will discuss the termination of a proposed $104,000 FDOT grant-funded Gulf Drive beautification and landscaping project for which more than $48,000 of city funds have already been spent on the plans designed by former City Engineer Lynn Burnett. The commission will discuss illegal parking at the 23rd Street North beachside street-end and be asked to authorize a temporary use permit for renovations to the Gulf Drive Café. The commission will also discuss a bench donation before adopting on second and final reading the city ordinance containing the five charter amendment ballot questions to be placed before city voters in the fall.

Celebrating the life of ‘Capt. George’

A celebration of life will be held for George Glaser at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria on Friday, June 17. Glaser passed away on Nov. 13, 2021. The day’s activities will begin at 3:30 p.m. with drinks and light refreshments served during a casual gathering of KRISTA SPIRO | SUBMITTED friends and family members. The celebration of life ceremony will take place from 5-6 p.m. and will include free dinner grilled at the park. From 6:30 to sunset, stories and memories of “Capt. George” will be shared and live music will be performed by Howie Banfield. Attendees are encouraged to bring and share their photos of “Capt. George.” Bayfront Park is located at 310 North Bay Blvd., between the City Pier and the Rod & Reel Pier.

BayFest set for fall

BayFest is back! The all-day party begins on Saturday Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. on Pine Avenue in Anna Maria, wrapping up at 9 p.m. The Island’s largest and longest-running festival returns for its 21st year featuring food, arts and crafts, vendors, live music, a classic car show and plenty of family fun. The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce is accepting vendor applications at amichamber.org.

Speed tables to be modified

The proposed modifications include adding more asphalt to approach areas to soften the impact for the vehicles traveling over them.

BY JOE HENDRICKS

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – The city of Anna Maria intends to modify three speed tables recently installed along South Bay Boulevard.

The speed tables were installed on the 500, 600 and 800 blocks of South Bay Boulevard as part of a recent street paving project. They were the source of public displeasure and concerns expressed by some residents and property owners during the city commission’s May 26 meeting. Those concerns included noise and the slow speed required to pass over the speed tables in order to avoid injury, damage and jostling the contents of the vehicles.

Mayor Dan Murphy addressed the speed table concerns again during the commission’s June 9 meeting.

“We brought in our engineer to take a look at the speed tables to see if they were designed to specifications. Of the three there on South Bay, two were close to specification and one (on the 500 block) was considerably out of specification. All three of these speed tables would need to be softened with more asphalt. Superior Asphalt did not build them to specification,” Murphy told the commission.

The mayor presented the commission with two options - remove some or all the speed tables at a cost of $4,000 each or request that Superior Asphalt make the needed modifications. The proposed modifications would include adding more asphalt to the approach areas to decrease the severity of the approach angle in order to lessen the impact and increase the speed at which the speed tables can be driven over. The proposed modifications also include creating gaps in or alongside the speed tables that would allow bicycles to avoid traveling over them.

Commissioner Deanie Sebring suggested using reflective paint to make approaching motorists more aware of the speed tables they’re about to encounter.

As she did during the May 26 discussion, South Bay Boulevard resident Pat Olesen again asked the commission to remove or relocate the speed table installed near her home on the 500 block of South Bay Boulevard. The commission did not grant that request.

Resident Dave Haddox told the commission the National Association of City Transportation Officials recommends that speed tables include a flat area in the center of the angled approach areas, with a total length of 22 feet and a maximum height of 3-3.5 inches so vehicles can travel over them going at least 25 mph.

Haddox also said he’s watched golf cart operators avoid the speed tables by veering onto the adjacent grass and sidewalks. In response, Murphy said it’s illegal to drive a golf cart on a city sidewalk and violators could receive a citation from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office for doing so.

All five commission members were in favor of modifying and reevaluating the speed tables rather than removing them at this time. No timetable was provided as to when the speed table modifications will be completed.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN The South Bay Boulevard speed tables must be approached at a lower rate of speed than originally anticipated.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN The speed table on the 500 block of South Bay Boulevard is further out of spec than the speed tables on the 600 and 800 blocks.

Reported gas leak evacuates Bridge Street

What was thought to be a possibly serious gas leak at the Bridge Tender Inn in Bradenton Beach turned out to be something entirely different.

BY JASON SCHAFFER

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH - A busy night on Bridge Street came to an abrupt halt due to what was believed to be a natural gas leak.

As people wandered among bars, shops and restaurants on June 7, customers at the Bridge Tender Inn were enjoying dinner and drinks by the bay when fire trucks and police began to arrive on Bay Drive South. Bystanders were told to leave the area and Bridge Tender Inn customers were evacuated from the property due to a reported gas leak.

“They narrowed it down to a car. There was a young girl from Georgia that had driven up here from Siesta Key,” said Shannon Altier, assistant general manager at Bridge Tender Inn. “The fire department had really sensitive equipment to detect leaking gas, but they didn’t find anything. It turned out to be a belt from the young lady’s car that eventually had to be towed away.”

According to multiple bystanders, the smell was almost identical to that of natural gas. Altier and the rest of the Bridge Tender Inn staff were relieved to hear the situation posed no danger, but it did cost the establishment a great deal of money due to orders that had already been placed and prepared when patrons were evacuated, as well as about two hours of lost revenue.

“We lost a little bit, but I was honestly just worried about the little girl in the car,” Altier said. “She had no idea what to do. I told her to not drive more than a block, and the car died on Bridge Street a few feet later.”

The incident started around 8 p.m. and according to Altier, fire officials were still on the scene until after 10 p.m. Nobody was injured and no property other than the vehicle with the faulty belt was damaged.

JASON SCHAFFER | SUN Bradenton Beach police and West Manatee Fire and Rescue close the east end of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach due to what was believed to be a gas leak at the Bridge Tender Inn.