Sarasota Livin'

The following are my remarks from the Holiday Party we had Saturday at Lunch.

Why do we invest our time in CCNA?

The purpose of CCNA is to preserve, protect and enhance city residential neighborhoods and to address the needs of neighborhoods and stand in support of those needs.

I do it because I love the city of Sarasota and I get to meet and work with people I really respect.

I would like to introduce our current board of directors:

I think what is great about CCNA is that it is a place for us to meet each other and learn about other neighborhoods in the City and share our passions

We talk about important issues and ways to make Sarasota a better place to live.

• Landlord registration
• Neighborhood Enhancement Program
• Housing Conservation Districts
• Rental Inspection Programs
• Gentrification
• Affordable Housing
• Growth downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods
  Traffic
• Homeless / Vagrancy

Some of the frustrations many of us may have is that we just don't “get things done” we haven't solved those problems...

Well I think that is just part of the way it works when you deal with very complex systems. There just is no such thing as “DONE”

We have been and will continue to be a watchdog to make sure neighborhood concerns are being looked after but no one entity can fix these problems.

• Traffic is seasonal – building roads that handle peak season traffic wouldn't be a good idea.
• As our older neighborhoods redevelop much of the older housing stock is redeveloped / replaced by the market. Lessening "rental housing problems".
• Growth downtown seems to be about to slow down – not because of us but because of that complex beast known as the economy.
  It takes lots players to help work on keeping a supply of affordable housing.

We have had visitors from:

• SCOPE
• Sarasota Landlord Association
• Civic League
• Hospice
• Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program /
• City Departments including: Utilities Department / Engineering / Planning / Administration / Code Compliance /NPO / Zoning
• Downtown Partnership
• WSLR

We had a city commission Candidate Forum

We have supported:

• Sewage Treatment System Upgrades
• Resolution against Hate
• Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program
• Community Conversation on Accountability
• RSM-9 Zoning in Laurel Park
• Height transition zones around downtown neighborhoods

We have educated Each other on:

• Planning / Development Process – Issues –
• A Planning Glossary
• Asset Based Community Development

I have personally been able to attend the NUSA conference in Sacramento, ABCD training in Chicago and the FL Neighborhoods Conference in Lakeland. I would like to thank the City for funding educational sessions like those. It is important to send us out as emissaries of how good Sarasota is and for us to learn what are the really good things that other Cities are doing that we can try out.

Favorite agenda topics:
Dumpster Day – Jennifer Wilson

Ideas for next year:

I am going to schedule a monthly meeting – a work day when anyone that is willing to help is invited to come and work on a topic.

Things I want to work on include:

• Establish "Canopy Neighborhood" program
• Establish "Neighborhood Street Intersection" program
• Ideas on ways to strengthen neighborhoods from within.

The holiday parade, veteran's parade, 4th of July fireworks, the reading festival, arts day are organized by citizen volunteers.

Last night there were three “business neighborhood” events – downtown after 5 had a band. Southside Village had an open house event and Rosemary Rising

I was at Rosemary Rising – someone commented to me ... am I still in Sarasota who are these people... there was the the "young cultural creatives" that every city should treasure. From the "new college dancers" the musicians to the merchants selling locally made jewelry – do you all know Sarasota has a store that is devoted to olive oil ...

A few weeks ago I went to the annual party that Laurel Park has in their park it was a great bring the neighborhood together event .... I wish I could have stayed later.

Most of our neighborhoods have events like this we need to embrace the unique assets we have and help each other show them off...

Working to strengthen our neighborhoods makes the City a better place, it's makes our neighborhoods stronger and it makes CCNA a more important organization

I hope you will all join me and our board of directors next year trying to make CCNA and Sarasota better than ever.

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Linda Holland was awarded the 2005 Good Neighbor Award