Sue Lang goes to war against the airport marina
A small town with big-town traffic problems -- if you think it's bad now, think about increased traffic to the island compounded by more frequent bridge raisings
-- John Patten, 04/27/06 (originally posted to the message board)
-- jpatten@veniceflorida.com

Got a comment? Make it here.

I don't always agree with Sue Lang, however Lang raised a very valid point recently, one I hadn't thought of and that has suddenly been almost an epiphany for me.

Here's a reprint of an e-mailed newletter-type editorial that Lang sent out yesterday to members of the Venice Neighborhood Coalition:

VNC Members: the article in today's Herald Tribune makes it appear that plans for the marina at the airport were presented at yesterday's Council meeting. I was there from beginning to end and there was no presentation, submission, agenda item, discussion, etc. regarding these plans. Please call or write the Herald Tribune and let them know that we are against the marina in this location and that the public has never had an opportunity to comment on these plans.

Our Vice Pres., Earl Quandt specifically asked the City Mgr. and City Clerk last month for all documentation and correspondence regarding the airport and a marina at the airport and was told there was none... it was only in the Gondolier's article this past Friday that Marty Black mentioned a conceptual plan for the marina had been drawn up... the conceptual plan calls for 200-400 slips plus a boat launch which mean hundreds of boats being trailered over the bridges, down Bus. 41, etc. Even if the City keeps out sailboats, which is doubtful that they will stick to this, many power boats that aren't even that large but have a flying bridge and or antennas, etc. require the Circus Bridge to open because it's the lowest bridge of the three... a cafe to the south of the bridge will also cause the bridge to open for boaters who want to dock at the cafe.

This is completely unfair to the residents of the southern end of the island of Venice and all island residents who regularly use the Circus Bridge. The opening of the bridge is not just a time issue, it's the pollution from all the idling cars that's really damaging to our quality of life, not to mention the pollution and waste of fossil fuel by boaters who will be motoring 4 miles up the ICW to the Gulf/open water.

This is just another pork barrel/favorite son project that does not add to the quality of life here. There are plenty of marinas and cafes on the water in this area. I have strongly suggested that the City and County work together to preserve Fisherman's Wharf and also expand, etc. the boat launch next to the Train Depot in Venice. Both of these facilities are already in existence and are close to the Gulf and one is outside the bridge and while the other requires going under the bridge, this is the highest bridge in Venice and therefore, only really tall boats need it to open.

Now I'm not sure that Lang is right when she states that we already have plenty of marina space (in fact, I believe it not to be true at all), but she is dead on on one thing: a marina placed between the bridges or just south of the Circus Bridge will create a traffic nightmare of monstrous proportions. Not only will it cause increased car traffic on and off the island (which is already at a critical stage this season), the traffic problems will be heavily compounded by the increased raising and lowering of the drawbridges.

While Lang focuses in her rant on the Circus Bridge (aka the south bridge), I think the worst of it will be on the Venice Avenue bridge (aka the middle bridge), where traffic routinely gets backed up all the way to U.S. 41 Bypass when the bridge gets raised in mid-day.

Now take the existing backups and gridlock and add the increased traffic that will be caused by the marina and voila -- we have created, as planning folks like to say, "an attractive nuisance." Granted, it will be very attractive, probably quite beautiful, but it will be an incredibly stupendous nuisance, especially considering that city and county officials have stated that the Venice Avenue bridge will NOT be widened or rebuilt, it WILL stay the way it is for at least the next twenty years or so.

Ya gotta ask -- what the hell are these people thinking? Are they thinking? They will get fat wallets, very fat wallets, and the rest of the town will be a parking lot.

The way city hall is approaching this, it's a done deal. The rest of us can just lay back and smile and pretend we enjoy it.

Up until now, the marina talk was an enigma wrapped in a mystery. After thinking about what Lang has written, it is readily apparent that the marina will become a nightmare wrapped up in a horrorshow.

Don't count on it failing, though. David Farley has been involved in trying to move the airport in the past on a couple of occasions -- it is his lifelong dream to get access to that land and build the crap out of it. Don't think for a second that Farley is not involved in this push, I don't think he was at city council this past Tuesday by coincidence.

The Venice Golf Association deliberately set out to get first right of refusal on their leased land in their much-controversied lease of a few years back, and they are leasing scrub disguised as nine holes along Harbor Drive.

Steve Harner (Bogey's, Crows' Nest) is rumored to have the inside track on building a hotel and restaurant amenities at the marina.

It's all about the money and to hell with what happens to the town in the wake of constructing this monstrosity. Without some kind of high-overpass superhighway, this has the potential of turning the island and the bridges into a gridlocked parking lot.

John Patten is the head of Web Operations for Creative Pages, and has worked in broadcasting for over 12 years. He can also be incredibly rude at times.