Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth emailed The Islander Oct. 3, saying, “Sage (Kamiya) has resigned, unfortunately. He is moving on to the city of Sarasota.
“He will be truly missed. He was a tremendous asset to the city and was responsible for creating a public works department that I am most proud of.
“He also was instrumental in developing our emergency operations plan.”
Titsworth said Kamiya made “great strides” in mapping a stormwater master plan, including hydrodynamic modeling, during his tenure. He also brought experience in grantwriting and had many successes with infrastructure projects.
“He will always hold a special place in my heart for taking the lead in our storm recovery efforts,” the mayor wrote. “He and our consultants were able to meet the strict criteria for reimbursement from FEMA for not only the debris removal but for damages to city infrastructure.”
She continued, “He has been a pleasure to work with and I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Anthony Benita will serve as interim superintendent of public works/city engineer while the city searches for a successor.
In other matters, Holmes Beach plans improvements at the dog park, which will be on the agenda at the next parks and beautification meeting. “We hope our park users will be able to attend so we can get their input,” Titsworth said.
Also, the city is reaching out to island restaurants regarding the Dec. 5 city anniversary event at city field.
“We also are extending an invite to the arts and craft community,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, Titsworth noted, “It is election season, and although it is not my time to campaign, I want to remind everyone that my door is always open. If there are any concerns that I can assist with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am here to serve, and I value the opportunity to help in any way I can.”
You can reach the mayor at 941-708-5800.
Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short emailed The Islander Oct. 3 with news about the city pier, a house-moving shutdown on Pine Avenue and a new trash, landscape debris and recycling schedule.
He said commissioners approved moving forward with Tampa Bay Marine to rebuild the walkway for the pier at their Sept. 30 meeting and the city met with the contractor to discuss logistics and next steps.
Phase 1 of Anna Maria’s swale cleanup project will kick off in the coming week. “Our initial focus will be the swales behind the properties on North Shore from Newton to North Bay, North Bay from North Shore to Crescent, the backs of properties on Pine, Spring and Magnolia from North Shore to South Bay and South Bay from Pine to Magnolia,” according to Short.
On Oct. 8, a cottage will be moved from the 100 block of Willow to Pine Avenue behind the Roser cottage, the office for Sato Real Estate.
People need to be aware that “between 9 and 11 a.m. portions of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue will be closed during the move and no street parking will be allowed,” Short said.
Finally, the mayor said, Waste Management service schedule changes will begin Oct. 6:
- Mondays: Landscaping debris citywide.
- Tuesdays: Citywide trash collection; half the city collection of recycling.
- Fridays: Citywide trash collection; other half of the city recycling.
Short noted the city’s website has a map for recycling collection areas and all property owners should have received a mailing from WM regarding the recycling areas.
— Bonner Joy