These are all the Blogs posted in May, 2007.
Thursday, 31
Reply to Mayor's Letter to Mrs. Tomanio.
Comments by Mayor Fred Hammett to Mrs. Tomanio, which were sent to InsideVeniceFlorida and comments to the Mayor added below:
"Because we have asked for a grant to repave 4-22 from the FAA, they have requested that we widen the safety area at the west end approach. That would require moving the fence into the separate 9 holes and the driving range. Over several years the activities at that end of the runway have been eliminated, the most recent was the moving of the Sharks Tooth F
Posted By edmartin at 8:20 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Wednesday, 30
Important airport questions need some answers from city of Venice
Since City Manager Marty Black and the city council are not providing analysis, alternatives, etc. about critical choices facing the community and council, I have framed several issues, presented below. These are by no means exhaustive, just a sample of the kinds of questions which need answering.
Black suggests that citizens should ask their questions to the MEA group representative at an airport advisory committee meeting scheduled today Wednesday, May 30, 2007, at 1:30 in the c
Posted By ed martin at 12:07 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Tuesday, 29
Check out other categories of blogs. New: Announcements.
We are posting items on the other blogs which are available by clicking on them along the right side of the page.
You can also make or find comments there as well as at the bottom of each article.
Thanks for the growing interest.
Posted By ed martin at 2:26 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Monday, 28
Chez Sylvie, An Organic French cafe
Sylvie, a native of France, serves several main courses, often specials, and less formal fare such as crepes, steamed mussels, and at lunch time, omelettes and croque monsieur.
Our party tried a vegetarian crepe with melted cheeses accompanied by a salad with a variety of interesting greens and goat cheese, judged very good. Another had a one-quarter serving of roasted chicken, simple but with a crispy crust and tender, juicy interior. Steamed mussels were classically prese
Posted By ed martin at 1:02 PM in Category:
Best Bytes (Food)
Kitt and Mike, More Fully Appreciated--Try them, you'll like them
Kitt and Mike Moran are special--I hope you will go hear them and agree. I have shared my enthusiasm for Kitt and her husband, accompanist, Mike, but I have always felt that
simply describing her as an excellent singer of jazz standards, with special sensitivity to romantic ballads, minimizes her talents. Similarly, Mike is a partner not an accompanist and his own abilities at harmonizing and improvising are easily lost in the focus on Kitt, which he willingly creates.
Their
Posted By edmartin at 12:37 PM in Category:
Jazz Corner
Sunday, 27
What do you think the chances are of this happening with Venice's City Council?
"A rezoning request for 4.6 acres at 2260 Englewood Road to accomodate the 60-unit condo complex and accompanying retail center was slashed by more than half Tuesday by the Sarasota County Commission," writes Steven J. Smith in the Venice Gondolier-Sun, May 27,2007.
"County Commissioner Paul Mercier initially moved for an amended approval of the rezone, which would allow for seven units per acre-down from the requested 13 per acre. Mercier's motion included a height limit of 35 fe
Posted By edmartin at 5:20 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Saturday, 26
Grady Tate stirs memories of Joe Williams and the Basie band.
I heard Grady Tate sing the great blues tune, “Nobody Loves Me” from his album, “Grady Tate Live at the Blue Note” and it is terrific. Kudos to Bob Seymour at WUSF 89.7 for presenting a wide variety of artists, known and becoming known.
Tate has a big, powerful, bluesy voice that evokes the late Joe Williams, arguably the best jazz/blues singer of his generation. Williams” version of “Everyday I Have the Blues” with the Basie band became the standard for that song.
On
Posted By ed martin at 9:44 PM in Category:
Jazz Corner
Friday, 25
Rafferty Letter to FAA about Airport Issues
Mr. Rusty Chapman, Division Manager
FAA Southern Region
Attn: ASO-600
P O Box 20636
Atlanta, GA 30320-0631.
Re: Draft Master Plan Update, Venice Municipal Airport (VNC), Venice, Florida
Dear Rusty,
I am a retired Airport Design Consultant, a registered voter in the City of Venice, Florida, and a golfer.
I am writing to you to seek FAA assistance on two issues:
1) A confirmation that the Golf Course adjacent
Posted By Mike Rafferty at 3:59 PM in Category:
Guest Bloggers
Tuesday, 22
CITY OFFICIALS SAY CITIZENS WILL DECIDE GOLF COURSE FATE, BUT WARN OF CONSEQUENCES--UNSPECIFIED.
Venice officials are telling the public that their perception, based on the input from public meetings, is that the majority of people do not want the golf course changed. They suggest that means that the city would be willing to reject the "safety area" of 1000 feet the FAA specifies that would impinge on the golf course and, therefore forgo federal funding for repaving runway 5-23. Hmm?
During the May 22nd Council Meeting, Bill Willson, said he wanted people to know that he took t
Posted By ed martin at 5:32 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Opposes Water Rate Increase, Seeks other cuts and support for costs of newly required water equipment for each home.
Dear Ms Depew- (Assistant City Clerk), Please enter the following comments in the record
I am submitting these comments for May 22nd public hearing on proposed water and sewer increases ordinance No 2007-28.
In reviewing the planned (approximately 30%) rate increase for water and sewer utilities I would like to suggest that an audit of necessary services and costs be performed in advance of any rate increase. I believe that City government bears a responsibility for the eff
Posted By Thomas Brener at 4:40 PM in Category:
Guest Bloggers
Monday, 21
CITY MANAGER, CITY COUNCIL--ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
By Hugh Laubis, Venice First
Well if you want to lose sleep, I suggest you attend the next meeting on airport development. A few weeks ago I spent all day along with many others at city hall listening to five development teams sit there and tell their stories to our elite management team. The presentations which I am sure you have already read about ranged from ill prepared, to grandiose! No trouble keeping awake during these sessions as developers promise everything while council express relatively ridiculous
Posted By Hugh Laubis at 7:06 PM in Category:
Guest Bloggers
Friday, 18
"New and Improved Website--Try It, You'll Like It."
Editor's note: For example of blog use see Guest Blog and also comments at end of "Fog" article. Click on read more and the page will reset with comments at end of article.
Beginning today InsideVeniceFlorida is a "blog" and you can interact with materials posted by me or by others as they occur. Here are some other advantages:
1. There will be new articles posted on a timely fashion, supplementing my bi-weekly columns in the Venice Gondolier.
2. You
Posted By Ed Martin at 12:39 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Wednesday, 16
FOG PERMEATES AIRPORT ADVISORY BOARD, CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
The phrase, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,” echoed in the ball parks of my youth. At the meeting Thursday, May 17, at 5 p.m. in the Venice Community Center of city council, the Airport Advisory Board and the MEA consultants working on the airport plan, a different kind of scorecard may be needed — one that identifies facts.
NEW CITY FIGURES
This column recently reported that city financial documents showed the airport with a surplus of re
Posted By ed at 11:40 AM in Category:
Inside Venice
Wednesday, 9
Best Hamburger in Venice--Try it and let me know.
Norma Jeans' used to be in the dark shadows of the Venice Avenue Bridge, a place to have a beer and a good burger. It was the kind of place where if you said, "Hey we are bringing a gang over after the show at the VLT," they might say, "We close at 10."
Now they are at the very north end of the shopping center opposite Albertson's on 41, just south of Center Road.
Their hamburger with grilled onions is "national" class, and this come after carefull study in NY, Washington, Pit
Posted By Ed Martin at 8:54 PM in Category:
Best Bytes (Food)
Friday, 4
City of Venice and airport: Hollywood loves a happy ending
Here is the Hollywood film storyline: Can the humble citizens unite to save their community from the ravages of the greedy developers?
Will the local politicians examine their consciences and break with the fat-cats who financed their campaigns? Will the beautiful lake deep in the unspoiled woods, bordered by green fairways of the public golf course and the pristine beauty of the natural beach park, be torn up by bulldozers and turned into a “resort” for overstuffed visitors?
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Posted By Ed Martin at 7:09 AM in Category:
Inside Venice
