Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short weighed in with an email to The Islander of “good news” May 30.
“Our Memorial Day event was a huge success with 300-400 people in attendance,” Short wrote.
He included a thank-you to the Center of Anna Maria Island and Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus and Orchestra for making the event possible.
Short also announced that William Pakbaz, a city resident and rising junior in high school, completed his Eagle Scout project by bringing around 20 volunteers on the beach May 30 to revegetate the shore north of the city pier.
About 160 saltwater, sandy-soil tolerant plants were planted. Short gave “congratulations” to William and the volunteers for the much-needed beach protection and another step forward as the city continues its hurricane recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, in Holmes Beach, Mayor Judy Titsworth is looking at what could be the city’s biggest land purchase in many years — since buying the bulk of undeveloped property at Grassy Point Preserve.
Titsworth will be negotiating to buy the property that has been Gloria Dei Lutheran Church since the 1960s, including the landmark building.
“The commission gave me permission to negotiate an offer up to $3M. If we are able to come to a deal this will be a great asset to the community, as our hope is in our ability to add green space to the city and save this landmark,” Titsworth said.
The offer exceeds the city’s highest appraisal for the property by about $230,000, which demonstrates the city is “serious” about obtaining ownership, according to Commissioner Terry Schaefer during discussion at a May 27 city meeting.
Titsworth added, “I would love to get the preschool back in it, too.”
Titsworth also weighed in on an issue that was brewing in the Key Royale neighborhood, where some neighbors are keen on the idea of slowing traffic with speed tables while others were looking at policing street parking and problems with landscaping features in rights of way that prohibit parking with “tires off the road.”
Titsworth opted to address both issues, allowing speed tables or “humps” and letting neighbors continue to “police” their landscape trucks and manage their own off-street parking.