Sarasota Livin'

I loved my visit to Sacramento CA where I guess you are now ... it was a very walkable place.

Keep blogging about walkability.

I too want to make it to Portland to see what's up. A few people in Sarasota seem to love this ideas ... some are lukewarm.

The City of Sarasota is seeking participants for its inaugural
Citizens’ Academy, a six-week fun, interactive experience designed to educate Sarasota residents about the inner workings of City Hall. Eight City departments will be featured at the 2005 Citizens Academy. “Academy members will walk away with in-depth knowledge of behind the scenes operations. They’ll also be enriched by seeing first hand the continuing efforts of the City to make Sarasota one of the best places to live in the nation,” said Jennifer Arthur, a Neighborhood Partnership Office Coordinator.

The sessions will be informative, interactive and engaging, with City officials providing behind-the-scenes tours. The Sports and Recreation Department will provide tours of Bobby Jones Golf Course and Ed Smith Stadium, with City officials explaining what it takes to host such major events as the AAU Baseball Tournament, spring training baseball, and the Men’s Annual City Golf Championship. Participants in the Citizens’ Academy will experience walking on center stage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, and learning how the Van Wezel staff books events and juggles entertainment schedules. Employees from the Planning Department, and Building, Zoning and Code Enforcement will stroll through downtown with Academy participants, explaining the process of new construction approval and how the new structures along Main Street and First Street came to fruition and how they fit into the City’s downtown master plan. Sarasota police officers will also provide hands-on demonstrations of what they do daily to protect the community. “A hands-on approach is a unique experience for any citizen and the City hopes to provide each academy member with an engaging and creative evening. Our goal is to educate academy members with an interactive experience so everyone has a fun while learning," said Arthur.

Twenty-five residents will be selected for the Citizens’ Academy. They will meet once a week from 6pm to 9pm for six weeks, beginning January 12, 2005 with a meet-and-greet session with the City’s five elected Commissioners and the City’s three Charter Officials. The Academy will culminate with a graduation ceremony during the City Commission meeting on February 21, 2006. "Any citizen can read about the City of Sarasota, but this is an opportunity to witness the hard work, and be a part of it. These 25 citizens will see how the wheels turn, and what it takes to keep the machine well oiled," said Arthur.

Citizens’ Academies have become popular throughout the nation, educating residents about the inner workings of municipal government. The City of Sarasota Citizens’ Academy is modeled after the ones in Sarasota County and Wichita, KS.

To be eligible for the Citizens’ Academy, participants must live within the City of Sarasota or own a business within the City limits. Applications for the Sarasota Citizens’ Academy can be found at www.npo.sarasotagov.com or by calling the Neighborhood Partnership Office at 954-2612. Applications must be completed and returned to City Hall by early December.

I live in Portland, and I know where those circles are. It's very cool. There's one not pictured that doesn't have a mural in the center of the intersection, but has artwork, little garden plots, etc.--even a kettle and cup replenished daily, with TEA!