The long-awaited sail shades have been hoisted, and Anna Maria City Pier Park now offers a shady gathering place.
The city commission voted in July to authorize $84,975 for Apollo Sunguard to build the sail-shade system.
“I’m very happy they’re done,” Mayor Dan Murphy said, crediting city clerk LeAnne Addy for handling the project. “She did a great job.”
The shades provide 2,500 square feet of coverage, more than twice the 900 square feet offered by tents used at city events in the past.
The shades will be tested for the first time at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, during the city’s Old Soldiers and Sailors Veterans Day Parade, which will step off from city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, and wind up at the park.
— Bianca Benedí