The 5 Points kerfuffle
“We will lay out the town of Sarasota from this hub”
Richard Paulson uttered these words back in 1885. He was referring to 5 Points Park. The “heart” of Sarasota.
I’d like to imagine when Paulson spoke of his dream for Sarasota, there was more to worry about than whose chalking the sidewalks. But, I’m a simple-minded dreamer.
As I read the news, I’m dumbfounded. Our leaders continue to fall all over themselves to satisfy those that will never be satisfied.
We will make more rules
In October of 2010, the Downtown Improvement District invested $142,00 to renovate 5 Points Park. This was an attempt to infuse energy into downtown so they threw down some pavers, hung a few lights, and installed sculpture. 5 Points would once again be the “hub” of the city. This all sounds good in theory but in reality, when a park gets used, the grass gets messy and people throw butts on the ground.
The cities remedy… ban smoking, rip out the park benches , and stop feeding the homeless. Going one step further, they appoint 5 Points as a “passive” park (?).
When we remove the benches, this is what’s left. People will find a perch!
Then all was quiet in Sarasota
until that damn Harvey Milk festival got everything stirred up again! A ton of people converged on the park and had a great time. The condo dwellers are in a huff so the city is now talking about banning any and all events. As I said before, I’m a simple-minded dreamer but I don’t see this as a way to breathe life into downtown!
Part of 5 Points renovation included ripping out a knee-high wall the homeless (and it WAS only the homeless) would sit on. Maybe they should have kept the wall and just built it higher so no one could get in and use the park. Then the one-percenters could gaze down from above and proclaim… all is Grande.
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