A new streetscape appeared on the southern end of Siesta Village the last full week of March.
Lisa Cece, the special district coordinator for Sarasota County, explained that the black olive trees that had stood in front of Gilligan’s Island Bar & Grill for many years had grown too large for their space; their root structure was lifting bricks in the walkway, and they were encroaching on the roof structure.
Four black olives in front of the Daiquiri Deck also were lifting some bricks, Cece added in an email. Those trees were not thriving, either, she added, so it appeared they would not survive. As a result, she continued, they needed to be replaced, as well.
The Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp. — which represents the property owners in the Siesta Key Village Public Improvement District — approved foxtail palms to be installed in both areas, Cece reported.
“The new palms will not create issues in the walkway in the future as they have a root ball and descend down rather than out with growth,” Cece wrote. “The palms are self-pruning and will not create clearance issues street-side,” she continued.
As the trees in front of Gilligan’s grow, she added, they will extend up and over the roof.
In her county position, Cece serves as the liaison to the Maintenance Corp. The property owners in the Public Improvement District are assessed an ad valorem tax each year to provide funds for the Village upkeep. The directors of the Maintenance Corp. consider any special issues that need to be addressed with those funds.
Architect Mark Smith is president of the Maintenance Corp., and Gabe Hartmann is the manager.
Cece also provided a copy of a March 26 email that went to the members of the Maintenance Corp., showing the foxtail palms on both sides of Ocean Boulevard, in the area of the Daiquiri Deck and Gilligan’s.
Cece noted that the installation of the new trees was performed by Wilhelm Brothers Inc., which handles the Village landscaping under the terms of a county contract.
On April 6, Cece reported that the fronds on the new palms had been released.
Author: John Morton