coming attractions€¦ · — which hopes to raise $2.5 million for capital improvements, with a...

Published by the VGRCCA as a service to our members and residents of the Venetian Golf and River Club.

Thank you for reading Parcels. If you have a story idea click on “reply” and let us know.

Parcels is a publication of the Venetian Golf and River Club Community Association (www.vgrcca.us) a voluntary, membership-based organization founded in 2008. Its mission, primarily focusing on issues “outside the gates” is separate and distinct from the Property Owners Association ( POA ) and the Venetian Community Development District ( VCDD)

FEBRUARY 2020

Don’t be a Target“Your grandson has been arrested and he needs $500.00 for his bail” If you received this call, it’s probably a scammer trying to connive money out of you. Now don’t say that this could never happen to you. Interestingly the father of a close friend of Parcels got taken for about $1800, based on this exact scam. To hear about the latest in scams as well as the critical subject of identity theft, get to the presentation by the Venice Police Department on this topic scheduled at the River Club on February 27 beginning at 9 am. Coffee and pastries will be available.

Coming Attractions

It’s Back!The ever popular Shedfest/Junkfest will take place at the River Club Parking lot on March 4th from 7:30 am – 9 am. The cost is ten dollars, HOWEVER, the VGRCCA will pick up that cost for any member. Hazardous materials such as paints, auto parts, televisions, computers and appliances are not welcomed at Junkfest. Please follow the signs once you arrive at the location. As with the recycled bin project, we need volunteers to help with this event. Email [email protected] if you can help.

Conversation with CauteroThe Conversation with Residents featuring Venice Councilperson Rich Cautero will give you an opportunity

to ask questions and provide comments in an informal setting. The Conversation is being held at the

River Club on February 18, beginning at 5 pm. Rich will begin the event with a few comments and then

open it up for audience participation. This is another opportunity for you as a Venice resident to know

more about what is happening in your city.

Parcels from Paradise - Keeping Venetian Residents Connected... FEBRUARY 2020

Plant it and They Will ComeLearn how you can use Florida Native Plants to attract birds and pollinators in your yards at our March 16 seminar at 4 pm. The VGRC Community Association will have a special presentation by Mary King, a member of the Venice area Audubon Society. She has been a member of Audubon since 2010, a volunteer and the Director and Chair of Conservation at the Venice area Audubon Society. Her seminar will parallel the Florida Friendly Principle Number 5, attracting Wildlife. Ms. King has a graduate degree in Human, Environmental and Consumer Resource Management. She is a frequent presenter in many local communities as she focuses on attracting and establishing bird oases.

Clean-up LaurelThe next clean-up date is Monday April 13th. Volunteers should show up at 8:45 am across from the front gate. This

is a quarterly event four times a year. We need between eight and ten volunteers. This is one way to get involved in your

community. It’s a few months away but please mark it on your calendar.

NoteworthyBike-o-Rama VIIBike-O-Rama VII was a huge success especially with a new scheduling format. Your

Community Association learned a great deal from the format and will be making some

tweaks for next year. Thanks to all for participating in this annual event and to Bicycles

International for furnishing their three great bike mechanics. Please see all of the event

pictures at the end of Parcels.

The Bin Full of Bins

The recycling red bin drop off project for VGRCCA members, held for 3 hours in January resulted in a collection of approximately

500 red bins. So, what happens to the bins? The City sells them to a company in Englewood who recycles all of them. This is

the same company that made and sold to the Community Association, the three benches that were donated to both the CDD

and the POA. A special thanks also to the numerous volunteers that helped on the day of the drop off.

Clean SweepKudos to the POA and its vendor, Immaculate Exteriors, for such a fine job in pressure washing the River Club boardwalk. What a difference a washing will make. See the before and after picture.

Good to Know about Your Smoke AlarmA resident recently contacted Parcels with a question about the life of his smoke alarm. In turn, Parcels made a call to Kidde, a highly reputable company that makes smoke alarms. The customer service representative indicated that yes, there is a life cycle for smoke alarms, being from 7-10 years, especially for those manufactured before 2013. She said that one can either pull out the manual of the smoke alarm to see the life cycle or obtain the serial number and run it on the web site of the manufacturer who makes the device. Please note that we are referring to the replacement of the entire smoke alarm, not the need to change batteries as directed.

Click on http://www.vgrcca.us/wall-of-something/


BEFORE

AFTER




Your Community Associations is Keeping an Eye On...Key Win for Laurel Road

This past month your Community Association Board spoke up at a City Council meeting regarding Laurel Road, making it

safer, more beautiful, and with free-flowing traffic. This time the issue was letting Sarasota County know that this road is a

priority for Venice, that we support a public (i.e. a city government) private (i.e. a home builder or private company) partnership

to get it done, and to approve use of $400,000 of Road Impact/Mobility fees to begin the process of engineering, negotiations

for right of way, cost estimation, and available options for funding, among other things. The City Council unanimously

approved the motion, so we are on our way. While there are further steps in the process to go through, you can be assured

the Community Association will be at the forefront of getting this done.

Roads, roads and more roads!

Your Community Association is pushing the envelope to make certain our Northeast Venice transportation needs are

proactively addressed. In addition to our Laurel Road activity, we are working with the County and others to extend Knights

Trail Road north to Clark Road and over to the I -75-681 interchange as well. Why?

1) Currently solid waste trucks travel from Northern Sarasota County, get off at Laurel, and head to the Knights Trail landfill. Wouldn’t it be great if the trucks and other vehicles had an alternative route instead of coming to our neighborhood?

2) It provides an alternative evacuation route for our residents if facing a hurricane.

Our first step was the approval of the County’s Comp plan to allow this to happen. A Community Association representative

spoke at the County Commissioners’ meeting on February 4 supporting that effort and it was approved unanimously.

Construction may start on this extension of Knights Trail as early as 2022. More will be discussed at the March 2nd Town

Hall meeting!

Citizen’s University

The City of Venice has started up a program called Citizen’s University, which educates people on the various aspects of

running a city. It is a 9-week course with around 22 participants (you have to apply and be accepted). There was strong

demand this year, and two of your Community Association Board members were selected for it. The more we know about

the government, the better we can serve you. When it comes time to apply for next year’s class, the VGRCCA will provide

information on how to do so.




Charity BeatVenice Theatre Fund

The Venice Theatre kicked off the public phase of its capital campaign, “The Next Act,”. The silent phase of the campaign

— which hopes to raise $2.5 million for capital improvements, with a stretch goal of another $1.5 million to create an

endowment — started in August. Venice Theatre is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit, so all donations are tax deductible. The first act of

the campaign was the purchase of the new Arts Education Building in November, from the City of Venice.

Foster Care Charitable Event.

The charity event to support The Twig (The Way to Inspire and Give) will be held on Wednesday, February 26,2020 at the

River Club beginning at 11:30 am. Come out and support our local Foster Care children. Reserve a seat or organize a table

and hear about how this Venice-based volunteer organization is providing new clothes to children in Foster Care. Please bring

NEW Infants' Sox, Tops for Tots, or jeans of any size ( up to 18).If you are unable to attend, you can drop off your clothing

donation at the River Club front desk anytime.

Laurel Civic Association...a deserving neighbor

The Laurel Civic Association provides a monthly

food distribution program for families and those

in need. Need is up considerably, and everyone

deserves not to be hungry! Your generosity last

year helped so many in the community near

the Venetian--let's continue!! A donation box

for nonperishable food items has been set up

at the River Club near the Tennis Shop for your

convenience. High need items include: canned

meats and fish (tuna, chicken, Spam), canned

meals (chili, ravioli, spaghettios), peanut butter, jelly, cereal, pasta, spaghetti sauce, beans, soups, and vegetables, but all

other canned/dried goods are accepted.

So...take advantage of those BOGOs or clean out that pantry of items you have had and not used! Snowbirds especially may

find this a great opportunity to take a second look at their pantry before leaving.

Recently the Laurel Civic Association held a sold-out fundraiser at the Venetian. The great news is that they were able to

purchase 100 new books and raise an additional $1000.00 that led to the acquisition of more books. See above the happy

young recipients benefitting from this annual fundraiser.

Sarasota Art Museum

A new and very interesting art museum

opened up in Sarasota in the old Sarasota

High School at 1001 South Tamiami Trail. This Museum is part of the Ringling College of

Art and Design. They describe themselves as a contemporary art museum (known as

a kunsthalle, an art museum without a permanent collection). They charge $15.00 for

admission but have free admission on the first Sunday of every month. The Museum is

free to veterans and Museum members. Go to https://www.sarasotaartmuseum.org/ for

days and times they are open plus a better feel for this type of fascinating museum




Outside the GatesBatter up

Yep, it’s that time for spring training baseball along with the tradition

of eating peanuts, popcorn and of course, chugging down a few

brews. We are fortunate in having in close proximity three teams;

the Orioles (Ed Smith Stadium), the Braves (CoolToday Park in North

Port) and the Pirates (Lecom Park in Bradenton). North Port officials

have indicated that roadways into the CoolToday park have vastly improved from last year’s one day traffic fiasco opening.

So, who will be the team to beat in October? Will the Red Sox, a favorite for many Venetian residents, re-emerge with a place

in the October classic? Keep an eye on Cincinnati with their new acquisitions. What about the Nationals repeating especially

with its great pitching? And of course, for our New Yorkers, we can’t leave out the Yankees. Take me out to the ball game

and have a fun time this spring.

Amazon down the street

According to a recent article in the Herald Tribune, Amazon, the national e-commerce giant

that’s changing the face of retail across the world, is opening a distribution center near Venice,

Sarasota County. The company plans to build a 120,000-square-foot warehouse on a parcel east

of Commerce Drive and parallel to Jacaranda Boulevard, north of Interstate 75. According to the permit application, filed Nov.

12, 2019, construction is expected to cost $16 million. The move has the potential to bring hundreds of jobs to south Sarasota

County.




Not so LuckyThe anticipated opening for Lucky Market on Tamiami near the bypass has been squelched. Word is the Market has gone

into bankruptcy and construction on the new location has stopped. There is a possibility that Aldi’s or Publix will take over

the location.

Jewish Food festival aka Nosh for Day.

“Oy, I ate too much.” You may hear those words from those who attended the Jewish

Food Festival on Sunday, February 16, 2020, 10 am-4 pm, at the Jewish Congregation

of Venice located at 600 N. Auburn Ave, about a five-minute drive from the VGRC. Besides

the food, there is entertainment, a bake sale, continuous entertainment and a flea market.

Lots to do, lots to see and of course, lots to eat! You will see many of your neighbors both

attending and serving this special food. This annual fun event is attended by hundreds.

New EateryA new breakfast/lunch restaurant recently opened at 1092 S. Tamiami, Osprey, in the strip center near the Tervis Tumbler

retail store. It’s called A Good Day Café. It serves a variety of foods, both lunch and breakfast and even has a selection for

those healthy vegans. You will notice that they serve “Pecan Sticky Bun” which is totally foreign to Parcels. Click on their web

site at www.agooddaycafefl.com for hours and their menu.

Tractor Supply Company Store

The new Tractor Supply Company Store of TSC is in its final stages of preparation and will open on

February 22nd with a special grand opening on March 14th. This nationwide specialty store has

lawn and garden equipment, pet food for all types of pets and plenty of tools and hardware. For dog

lovers they have a special do it yourself dog wash section (see picture) for just $9.97. If Fido reads

this article, he may jump into the car in order to be the first dog in line to be bathed at this new store.

The store is located on Jacaranda behind WaWa and Culver’s.

The Annual Town Hall Meeting, Monday, March 2, 2020Recently, in response to the question of whether she plans to attend the Annual

Town Hall meeting, a resident stated, “ You mean that big meeting down at the

school. Wouldn’t miss it. You learn a lot by going.”

That basically sums up the once a year event scheduled for Monday, March

2, 2020 at the Laurel Nokomis School (down the road) in the cafetorium. Early

goers will be greeted by a performance by the Venice Symphony Woodwind

Quintet beginning at 4:30 pm. The THM meeting will start promptly at 5:30

pm. Here are some q and a’s about the event:




What is on the agenda?

Although the agenda is still being developed you can expect to learn:

- The status of the two area hospital building projects

- The widening of Laurel Rd.

- The new EMS operation for Venice residents

- Perspectives from our new mayor

- Update on land development in northeast Venice

- And of course, the annual response to the long-time question,

“will there be a new tenant at the Subway Plaza down the road?”

( Hint…we MAY have some good news)

Will I be able to ask questions and share my comments?

Yes, as we have done in the past, the first hour is entirely devoted to presentations. Then a short break for those who desire

to leave. The second half allows audience members to direct questions and comments to the speakers.

Parking a few years ago at the school was somewhat of a challenge. Has that been improved?

It surely has. Last year we hired two police officers to direct traffic along with the opening of a large back parking lot.

Why should I attend?

The first answer is obvious. You own property at the Venetian and your home is probably the largest investment you have.

As a property owner, we would hope you would have interest in those issues and events that impact both your investment

and your quality of life. The second reason for attending is that communications in today’s world is of great importance….

knowing what is happening in and around the community makes life easier for you. The underlying objective of this meeting

is communicating with you.

I have lived here for many years. Why should I attend?

We trust that you have seen many changes over the years, and you will continue in northeast Venice to experience changes

as this area becomes further developed. By attending, you will be able to calibrate whether your future plans are in synch

with the future of the community and area where you live.

Why 5:30 pm start time?

A number of reasons. It takes some time to get the school ready for this large meeting. Secondly, we wanted to establish a

time where those who still work, golf, work-out, play cards, hit the tennis ball, go to the beach, etc. have time to get to this

very important meeting.

Will the event be televised?

No, we do not have plans to video tape or live stream the event.

We would hope you will consider making an evening out of it – come to the Town Hall Meeting, find out about the latest, get

a post meeting bite with friends and go home feeling good that you are truly an informed community member.




You Do the Math….60 or 600Yes, Parcels and Board members of the VGRCCA are pounding the importance of attending the Annual Town Hall Meeting. With that comes a story a few years ago, when one of the first-time presenters at the Town Hall Meeting commented to Parcels after the meeting that he was extremely impressed with the number of residents who were in the audience. (That year we had approximately 600 in the audience.) He stated “I was expecting as I do when I meet with other communities, to see about 60 folks in the audience. My goodness, it’s impressive... you guys really turn out the numbers!.” He’s right. We do turn the numbers out for our Town Hall Meeting and surely hope we will do the same for this year’s meeting on March 2, 2020. One thing that all local politicians and leaders can do... count. They know the difference between just 60 in the audience and 600 in the seats. Our numbers are impressive and demonstrate to all politicians and decision makers that Venetian residents care... care about their property values, care about their quality of life and care about the decisions made at City Hall. Be part of the 600 this year! Hope to see you at the Town Hall Meeting.

Extra Helping

Bike-O-Rama

CPRTRAINING

2020 Membership Enrollment Form Thank you for joining the Community Association, which is dedicated to preserving your paradise. The board of this volunteer organization interfaces with local government on key issues “outside the gates,” such as ensuring our local waterways are clean and beautiful, helping prevent overdevelopment, and reacting to any potential activity that can have an impact on your property value. The Community Association also runs important initiatives inside the gates. These include the Hurricane Readiness Team (HRT) and CPR training, activities to make your life easier, such as Shredfest and Bike-O-Rama, and presentations on a variety of topics to keep you up to date and informed. We also publish the popular “Parcels from Paradise.” All of this is made possible by your membership dues, for which we thank you.

There are two ways to become a member:

1. On-line at http://www.vgrcca.us/membership/. We accept credit cards and use Pay Pal as our secure server.

2. Write a check, payable to VGRC Community Association and mail with this form to: Treasurer 305 Martellago Dr. North Venice, FL 34275

Membership Dues per Household (Please check appropriate line)

Membership Term Membership Dues

_____ One Year $30.00

_____ Two Years $50.00

_____ Three Years (Best Offer) $70.00

Member Information (Please Print)

Name Additional Name Preferred Telephone # Preferred Telephone #

E-Mail Address E-Mail Address Venetian Address

Other Mailing Address

TOWN HALL MEETING

Keeping an Eye on the Issues

Attend a special pre-meeting concert performed by the Venice Symphony Woodwind Quintet

beginning at 4:30pm

Monday, March 2, 2020 @ 5:30 pmLaurel Nokomis School Cafetorium

coming attractions€¦ · — which hopes to raise $2.5 million for capital improvements, with a...

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