August 1, 2017
The Sarasota County Commission has set aside an entire day on August 23rd to hear testimony regarding the siting of a Construction/Demolition Waste Processing Facility at Apex Rd. and Palmer Blvd.
The issues go beyond the obvious impacts on birds, birders, recreation, traffic, air quality, water quality, nearby communities, future potentials and eco-tourism. Underlying all this is a question regarding the balance of public and private interests in land use.
At stake on August 23 is public judgement and public vision. Here are a couple of links regarding planning and public interest, and some background on why this is coming to a head:
In this email we have included:
- important upcoming dates, we hope you will join us
- County Commissioners' email addresses so you may contact them to voice opposition to this proposal
- a Donate Now link for expenses that are accruing in order to fight the dump proposal. Any donation is appreciated and will be used wisely to stop the development of this dump via marketing and legal fees.
We hope you can join us on August 23 and if you can't, please continue emailing the County Commissioners' voicing your opposition to the proposed location of this dump. Your testimony is needed and appreciated.
Respectfully,
Friends of Save Our Celery Fields
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Rally, August 23, 2017 @ 8AM
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A peaceful protest will begin at 8 p.m. in front of the BOCC building on the Ringling Boulevard sidewalk.
Please bring signs, we will have some signs on hand but colorful signage is encouraged.
PARKING: Public parking may be found behind the County Building, we encourage carpooling.
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County Commission Meeting
August 23, 2017 @ 9AM
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The Board of County Commission Meeting begins at 9 a.m., located in the Commissioners’ Chambers.
Mr. Medred will present the TST Recycling Dump project to the BOCC for the following:
Proposed Land Use Change for: Critical Area Plan Amendment Rezone Petition No. 17-01 to Rezone approximately 16 acres from ILW (Industrial Light Manufacturing/ and Warehousing) with Stipulations and OUR (Open Use Rural, 1 Unit to 10 Acres) to ILW with Amended Stipulations, and Special Exceptions No. 1765 to Allow a Recycling Facility in ILW Zone District.
We will have a three (3) minute opportunity to speak during public comments to the board.
If you wish to speak, look for speakers' cards. The cards are available on either side of the chamber as you walk in. Fill out the card fully, then take the card and leave it with the clerk seated to the right of the dais.
If you are interested in speaking and are unsure about what you wish to say, please view some topics for consideration below.
QUALITY OF LIFE:
- traffic congestion with introduction of new truck traffic to dump
- diminished air quality
- impact to home values
- road safety
- impact to Tatum Ridge Elementary children commuting by bus or by parent
- impact to local neighborhood traffic commute times
ENVIRONMENT:
- pollution will harm threatened and endangered birds, fauna, insects, fish and wildlife of park will be in harm's way with location of dump
- integrity of Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility will be impacted by additional burden of "filtering" fugitive airborne concrete particulate and leaching of dump materials
- birds listed as threatened or endangered remain fragile in numbers
- noise pollution will mask bird calls, birds use their calls to find mates
COUNTY GOVERNMENT:
- County failure to recognize changes to the area using antiquated zoning and land use designations going back one quarter of a century
- failure to recognize value of Celery Field's eco-tourism as a growing and sustainable revenue tax base for the county
- failure to protect the investment of county dollars ($30 Million +) invested to build the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility, observation mound, bird walks, park trails and preserve area
- failure to adhere to Sarasota's Zoning Mission Statement that Zoning's fundamental purpose is to protect a community's health, safety and welfare.
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SAVE THE DATES & JOIN US ON FACEBOOK:
AUGUST 19 @ 10AM - 12PM
Save the Celery Fields Community Protest
Corner of Apex Road & Palmer Boulevard
AUGUST 23 @ 8AM
Save the Celery Fields Rally - Pre-Meeting/All Day Table Outside
1660 RINGLING BLVD., SRQ, FL 34236
AUGUST 23 @ 9AM
COUNTY COMMISSION
PUBLIC HEARING MEETING 1660 RINGLING BLVD., SRQ, FL 34236
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Your Donation is Needed to Save The Celery Fields
The Palmer East Group has been working exhaustively since January, 2017 as a group (and individually, some of us began working much earlier) to stop the threats to the Celery Fields. The Palmer East Group has established a legal defense fund under the management of the Meadow Walk and Enclave homeowners associations. An attorney and a professional land use planner have been retained to defeat the waste site proposal. Donations have ranged from $50 to $1,000, and come from businesses, homeowners associations, and individuals. Your investment of $25, $50, $100, or more is much-needed ammunition in this fight.
An urgent threat looms as James Gabbert—via his company, TST Ventures, LLC—has petitioned Sarasota County to allow the construction of a 15-acre construction- & demolition-debris processing facility on Celery Fields lands. Mr. Gabbert has invested "hundreds of thousands" to ensure his dump will be developed, we appreciate any amount to help with expenses to fight this horrific threat to the Celery Fields and local neighborhoods and businesses.
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EMAIL THE SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSIONER: and let them know you oppose the sale and development of county owned lands next to the Celery Field, especially the proposed dump.
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If you have received this email, it is because:
1) you signed up to receive Celery Field information 2) you are a friend of one of the activists who contributed to this email 3) you signed a Celery Field petition.
If you no longer wish to receive email from Save Our Celery Field, simply respond with "Delete Me" in the subject line.
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Adrien Lucas| 941-539-9044 | SaveOurCeleryField@gmail.coml |
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