EDITORIAL

Paving paradise

Anna Maria Island is changing and it has been for years. Our little Island has turned into a popular tourist destination and, while we love our visitors, especially the ones who come year after year and participate in the community, it’s hard not to feel like residents are getting pushed out in favor of beachgoers.

A bill is being considered at the state level that would have a parking garage built on the entire parking lot at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach to overrule local regulations and allow Manatee County commissioners to issue their own building permit instead of going through a special exception request process with the Holmes Beach Commission.

The garage would hold 1,500-1,700 parking spaces after it’s built. What happens to all of the cars that are usually parked at the beach during the proposed two years of construction? Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge suggests opening all residential streets on AMI to beach parking for the duration of construction. If all residential streets are open to parking, and the four tires off the road street side parking regulations are lifted in the three Island cities, it has the very real potential to be a free-for-all where residents are severely outnumbered and have little to no chance of winning or preserving their quality of life.

Once the garage is built, it would be difficult to impossible to take back residential streets from parking and the garage will have a pay-per-hour system which would either have drivers circling residential streets looking for a free parking place or result in city leaders installing parking meters on the side of every road.

Imagine driving across the Anna Maria Island Bridge and instead of being greeted by a view of the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, you see a wall of concrete? Why not compromise and let the county build its parking garage on a different parcel, say the former Bank of America lot that’s only a block from the beach? The county would have to compromise by purchasing another piece of land and the city would have to compromise by allowing the garage to be built, but the existing parking at the public beach would remain open and there would be no need to open more residential streets to public parking for the beach without facilities, such as restrooms, concessions or adequate trash receptacles. If another garage is needed after the first one is built and open, put one up at the south end of the Manatee Beach parking lot. With 30,000-plus cars coming across the Anna Maria Island Bridge every day, it becomes a question of reasonableness and thinking about just how much a 7-mile island can take. We can only hope that our elected officials see reason before it’s too late.

The Anna Maria Island Sun Staff

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Mike Field

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Letters To The Editor

Parking garage won’t solve problems

On March 1, I attended a Town Hall Meeting in Holmes Beach conducted by County Commissioner George Kruse. The main topic of the meeting was the traffic issues on Anna Maria Island and the proposed parking garage. Kruse listened politely, but he had obviously made up his mind that a parking garage should be built in Holmes Beach.

His decision was made with no input from any residents of Anna Maria Island, the people who will be most affected by the building of the parking garage. It’s disappointing that all the county commissioners, Rep. Robinson and Rep. Boyd did not take the time to meet

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Anne Yarbrough

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Ricardo Fonseca with their Anna Maria Island constituents to gather additional input on a decision of this magnitude. What Kruse did not tell the audience is that the day before the Town Hall Meeting he had voted, along with the other County Commissioners, to endorse the parking garage. He has subsequently stated he is in favor of House Bill 947, legislation that would authorize a parking garage in countymanaged public parks such as at Manatee Beach.

Kruse did admit that Anna Maria Island does not have a “visitor” problem, but rather has a traffic problem. His solution to reducing traffic on Anna Maria Island is to build a parking garage that Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge has stated could

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Brian Smith add 1,500 additional parking spaces. How does the building of a 1,500-stall parking garage reduce traffic coming onto Anna Maria Island? Won’t providing 1,500 additional parking spaces only add to the traffic problem? Why aren’t the county commissioners, Rep. Robinson and Rep. Boyd, pursuing other options that would allow visitors to Anna Maria Island while reducing traffic as actively as they are pursuing a parking garage? Why aren’t they moving more quickly to find other solutions such as off-island parking facilities, shuttle services or other mass transit options to reduce the number of cars coming onto Anna Maria Island?

Jeff Dentz Holmes Beach

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On The Agenda

Anna Maria

10005 GULF DRIVE

FOR INFORMATION, CALL 941-708-6130

Please visit www.cityofannamaria.com or contact city hall for more information.

March 21, 9 a.m. – Planning and Zoning Board meeting

March 23, 6 p.m. – City Commission meeting

Bradenton Beach

107 GULF DRIVE N.

FOR INFORMATION, CALL 941-778-1005

Please visit www.cityofbradentonbeach.com or contact city hall for more information.

March 15, 10 a.m. – Department Head meeting

March 15, 1 p.m. – Scenic WAVES meeting

March 16, noon – City Commission meeting

March 21, 9:30 a.m. – City Commission work session

Holmes Beach

5801 MARINA DRIVE

FOR INFORMATION, CALL 941-708-5800

Please visit www.holmesbeachfl.org or contact city hall for more information.

March 28, 10 a.m. – Code Compliance special magistrate hearing

March 28, 5 p.m. – City Commission meeting with work session to follow

ISLAND-WIDE

March 21, 6 p.m. – West Manatee Fire Rescue board meeting, administration building, 701 63rd St. W., Bradenton

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15

Creative Aging: Watercolors, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

Island Morning Book Club, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10:15 a.m.

Sunshine Stitchers Knit and Crochet, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 2 p.m.

Family Movie Night, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 5:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

Mah-jongg for experienced players, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 11:30 a.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

Robinson Runners, Robinson Preserve, 1704 99th St. N.W., Bradenton, 7 a.m.

Mornings at the NEST, Robinson Preserve Mosaic Nest, 840 Ninth Ave. N.W., Bradenton, 9 a.m. to noon

Springfest Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts, city field, 5901 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Meditation, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 11 a.m. Teen Art Club, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 1 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 19

Springfest Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts, city field, 5901 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MONDAY, MARCH 20

Pioneer Women of Manatee, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 11 a.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 21

Farmer’s Market, City Pier Park, 103 N. Bay Blvd., Anna Maria, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Family story time, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m.

Duplicate bridge, Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 4408 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, noon

Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island meeting, Slicker’s Eatery, 12012 Cortez Road W., Bradenton, 11:30 a.m.

Mah-jongg for experienced players, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 11:30 a.m.

One-on-one tech help, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 2-4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

Creative Aging: Watercolors, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m.

Mah-jongg for beginners, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 1 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 23

TreeTots: Nature Numbers, Robinson Preserve Mosaic Nest, 840 Ninth Ave. N.W., Bradenton, 10 a.m.

Sunshine Stitchers Knit and Crochet, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 2 p.m.

Thursdays in Paradise Stroll featuring local art, music and food, Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, 5-8 p.m.

AMI Chamber Business Card Exchange and Scholarship Awards, LaPensee Plumbing, 401 Manatee Ave., Holmes Beach, 5 p.m., $5 for members or $10 for prospective members

FRIDAY, MARCH 24

Forty Carrots, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m.

Mah-jongg for experienced players, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 11:30 a.m.

Rock Garden rock painting, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 2 p.m. Robinson Preserve Twilight 5K/10K race, Robinson Preserve, 1704 99th St. N.W., Bradenton, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25

Robinson Runners, Robinson Preserve, 1704 99th St. N.W., Bradenton, 7 a.m.

Mornings at the NEST, Robinson Preserve Mosaic Nest, 840 Ninth Ave. N.W., Bradenton, 9 a.m. to noon