City Commission Wants More For Myrtle St.

North Sarasota residents want the city and county to re-think plans for improvements for Myrtle Street that were agreed upon in the fall.

This week, residents have told Sarasota City Commissioners that they want two bike lanes, sidewalks on both sides of the street and lighting on both sides. The city commission voted Tuesday to send a letter to the county to let their counterparts on Ringling Boulevard know their change in stance.

The county commission could discuss the Myrtle Street project during a budget workshop at 9 a.m. Thursday where capital improvement priorities are listed to be reviewed.

At a November joint session between the city and county commissioners, the two boards agreed to pursue a $3 million facelift to Myrtle Street that would include a sidewalk on the south side of the road and other features stretching from Washington Boulevard to Tamiami Trail. The two agencies are partnering because the street runs both in and out of city limits.

Staff at that meeting hinted that finding funding for the project was difficult, Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown reminded the commissioners, but the city commission decided this week they ought to do the project right and not cheap.

"We ought to be looking for the right plan, the right goal and not the cheap plan," Vice Mayor Terry Turner said, who added it might be five or 10 years before the project comes to fruition. Turner also added he's "a little uncomfortable that we already voted" and doesn't want to be seen as flopping.

Depending on options for drainage, those other options could cost $6.9 million to $8.1 million. The county and city years ago shifted funds for Myrtle toward other projects instead, according to officials.

Central Cocoanut resident Barbara Powell Harris supports the move.

"It's imperative that we have a safe, inviting road that crosses from 301 to 41," she said. "It needs to be safe; It needs to be inviting for people who come to visit our Booker High School and for people who come to our Robert L. Taylor complex."

Mike Lasche, director of Bicycle/Pedestrian Advocates of Sarasota-Manatee, said Myrtle must be improved.

"Myrtle itself is a killer road. It's a nightmare for cyclists. It's a narrow, high-speed road, yet it's the natural connector for a large part of the North Trail to U.S. 301, Tuttle and points east," Lasche told the commission Tuesday.

The street already contains bike lanes on a bridge that was recently built, he added.

After learning more about the project, he learned the Booker High School community were "quite emphatic that the lack of lighting is a major safety issue, particularly during football games and their frequent cultural performances," Lasche told Turner in an e-mail.

Commissioner Shannon Snyder favored asking the county, but doesn't think the money will come.

"It's one thing to ask them and if they don't have the money, I understand, but we don't have the money either," Snyder said.