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Tag: Bridge Street Merchants

Pier team discusses Bridge Street improvements

Pier team discusses Bridge Street improvements

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – A monthly pier team meeting on June 26 at city hall covered a host of topics including feedback about the Gulf Island Ferry, the installation of cameras on the city pier, road closures for the upcoming Sundown Get Down street party and an update on the floating dock.

“We’re getting a lot of positive feedback from people coming in on the ferry. They absolutely love to hop off that ferry and be right in the middle of Bridge Street and Bradenton Beach,” John Horne, owner of Anna Maria Island Oyster Bar (AMOB), said during the concessionaire report. “I think it’s tremendous.”

Police Chief John Cosby gave an update on the security cameras to be installed on the city pier.

“I’m still waiting,” Cosby said. “I think they started installing some of the equipment. The last I talked to them, they’re waiting for the insulating conduit.”

Other business included the concessionaire report, a dock update, public works and building departments reports and a facilitator report.

Cosby, who is also serving as interim Public Works Director, said regarding trash pickup on the pier, “I don’t really want to hire any new positions until we know what’s happening with OPPAGA (the potential consolidation of Island cities), if anything. We do have a budgeted person for the CRA district and that will be for Saturdays and Sundays so that will be seven days.”

Three days a week, the public works crew will remove trash from Bridge Street.

“In the past, the street was only getting a half of days’ worth of service basically so now there’s two people on it,” Cosby said. “Every Thursday, as long as it’s not raining, they blow out all the dust from the sidewalks and the curb area and out into the roadway for the street sweeper.”

For the upcoming Sundown Get Down street party on Bridge Street, which begins on Thursday, July 18 at 4 p.m., Cosby said the road will be closed to traffic at noon.

“We’ll move traffic out before it actually starts,” he said. “This won’t affect the parking at the pier unless I have to shut the circle down. This is the first time, so it’s a learning curve to see where the crowd is going and if it looks like it’s going to expand then we’ll do exactly the same closure that we do for the Christmas event.”

Cosby said barricades will be in place, but they won’t be used unless needed.

“I don’t want to shut things down that don’t need to be,” Cosby said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Cosby said many people are planning to arrive for the street party by the Gulf Island Ferry and tickets are sold out.

“As far as the floating dock, everything’s been fixed that we requested to be fixed,” Cosby said.

Bridge Street Merchants plans monthly street festival

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Entertainment, Festivals.

BRADENTON BEACH – The Bridge Street Merchants Association (BSMA) has big plans for the coming year, including monthly street parties on Bridge Street.

The new monthly event, billed as “Sun Down Get Down,” will be held on the third Thursday of each month beginning on July 18.

“Our plan is for Bridge Street to be closed to traffic and to allow open containers during the event like most small-town street festivals,” BSMA President Derek Williams, owner of the Drift In, wrote in a press release to The Sun. “Each month will have a theme and there will be incentives to visit the merchants. You will see everything from pirates to classic cars, power boats to Spanish galleons, Privateers to conquistadors. Of course each night at sundown, we are bringing back an old Bradenton Beach favorite, the Green Flash beverage.”

BSMA was founded 20 years ago by Angela Rodocker, owner of Bridge Walk Resort, and other local business owners, to bring awareness to the Bridge Street area. Participation in the organization has diminished over the years and came to a near-stop during COVID in 2020, according to Williams.

“Clearly the biggest challenge was lack of participation and engagement by merchants and willingness to make ongoing investments of time and money while running their own businesses,” Williams wrote.

The group took a new approach by promoting specific businesses each week in radio ads and highlighting their participation in Christmas on Bridge Street and the Christmas Boat Parade events. As a result of that advertising, the 2023 schedule had some of the best-attended events seen in years.

“Heading into 2024 we used that momentum and decided to think bigger and year-round,” Williams wrote. “Attracting customers during “season” was one challenge, but how could we get locals and tourists to enjoy and support the area during the slower months?”

City officials and merchants came together and held roundtable meetings and the result is a reorganized BSMA, according to Williams, with a commitment to monthly event schedules, the outsourcing of event management and the chance for outside sponsorship to help with funding.

“We expect over 25 new members to BSMA and hope to raise over $150,000 in annual sponsorship and support,” Williams wrote. “BSMA membership costs will remain reasonable and economical, allowing for businesses of all sizes to participate thanks to our new model for raising funds and utilizing sponsorships to fund events.”

BSMA has received a $15,000 sponsorship from the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Williams hopes the city of Bradenton Beach will increase its sponsorship beyond the $40,000 the CRA spends annually on Christmas decorations and seasonal events.

“I’m confident the CRA can find an additional $25,000 annually to help the business community bring life to our little beach town,” Williams wrote. “My goodness, if they can find money for palm trees and water trucks at the last minute, I’m confident they can get behind this new initiative,” Williams wrote.

With parking a challenge in the Bridge Street area, BSMA has created a transportation committee that is working with the City of Bradenton Beach and Manatee County to offer newly designated parking areas, trolley stops, ferry stops, bikes and golf carts.

The 2024 BSMA leadership team includes Williams, Vice President Angela Rodocker and Secretary/Treasurer Beth Vidmar of Paradise Boat Tours.

Two new websites have been launched to support the efforts – HistoricBridgeStreet.com and SunDownGetDown.com.

Bradenton Beach logo

Bridge Street traffic, parking among commission concerns

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – In what was an unusually lengthy, seven-hour city commission meeting that began at noon on March 21, commissioners dove into parking and traffic issues, pickleball and organ donation.

BRIDGE STREET ONE WAY?

A Bridge Street business owner asked the commission to consider making Bridge Street one way to alleviate traffic and parking issues.

Brandt Clark, whose family owns Bridge Street Jewelers, read a prepared statement that said in part, “I recommend turning Bridge Street into a one-way street with all the parallel parking spots converted into diagonal parking.”

Clark said delivery trucks block half the street which causes a hazard to drivers and pedestrians.

“Everyone is aware of the parking issues in Bradenton Beach, as well as on Bridge Street. Currently, the street has about 12 parallel parking spots,” Clark read. “The spots are honestly too small, and result in cars not being able to fit, cars taking up multiple spots, cars getting locked in, and a lot of vehicular damage. I, myself, have been locked in by cars parking far too close to mine, as well as having my car hit at least a dozen times. By making the street one way, we can turn the parallel parking into diagonal spots.”

“This has been discussed over the years and the conclusion was not to,” Mayor John Chappie said, suggesting putting the topic on the agenda for the Community Redevelopment Agency.

“Let’s say we wanted to move traffic from west to east, for those 100 spots and everything else that comes down the road would be directed through The Pines and the neighborhoods and along Bay Drive where we have a lot of pedestrians,” Chief John Cosby said. “Do we want to move traffic to this area?”

Cosby said the current two-way traffic is a safer option.

“I don’t know how comfortable I am moving all this traffic into the neighborhoods,” he said.

When the city was reviewing Bridge Street, there was a substantial amount of time spent with engineers, Chappie, Cosby and the Public Works Department and through that collaboration, new signs were posted saying cars must fit completely inside parking spots, according to City Attorney Ricinda Perry.

“If you are over the lines you will get a ticket,” Perry said.

GOLF CART PARKING AT 301 GULF DRIVE S.

A request for a temporary use permit for golf cart parking at 301 Gulf Drive S., a vacant building, was approved by commissioners with conditions.

Use is limited to the storage of battery-powered golf carts; active insurance must be in place; the permit runs from March 21, 2024-Sept. 21, 2025; landscape buffering is required; a site plan must be submitted to city building department; all golf cart loading and unloading shall be onsite or along Third Street South; hours of delivery will be between 6:30-8 p.m.; use of the property is limited to employees and staff; a sidewalk will be installed along Gulf Drive and Third Street South with ingress and egress to be approved by the city building official; compliance with a triangle of visibility for drivers must be met, and a business tax receipt must be submitted to the City Clerk.

The application was submitted by Wendy Kokolis on March 5. Julian Botero and attorney Aaron Thomas represented the applicant at the commission meeting.

PICKLEBALL COURTS AT HERB DOLAN PARK

An anonymous donor has donated $24,000 for the expansion of two soon-to-be-built pickleball courts at Herb Dolan Park.

“We have a situation where we needed more funding and we had a bid in for $24,000. So we had a shortfall,” Mayor John Chappie said. “The City of Bradenton Beach is in possession from an anonymous donor for the full $24,000. We have the funding to expand it 10 feet and take care of amenities to expand it and make it nicer.”

Chappie said the court will be a first-class facility for all levels of pickleball players.

“Thank you to the angel that’s going to provide this for us,” pickleball player Kat Witt said during public comment.

The proposal from Stewart Tennis Courts & Fencing includes adding 10 feet of asphalt to the east side of the court and 4 feet to the back of the court, adding more fencing, installing four new net post anchors and adding color coats to the courts.

A motion to approve the change order for the pickleball courts was approved unanimously.

DONATE LIFE MONTH

A proclamation was passed designating April as Donate Life Month in Bradenton Beach, supporting organ donation through LifeLink of Florida and www.DonateLifeFlorida.org.

Ribbon cutting

Bradenton Beach Spa and Bou-tiki celebrates 10 years

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, Business.

BRADENTON BEACH – Bridge Street is known for its many dining choices and some of the best shopping on the Island. Among the restaurants, gift shops and galleries you will find Searenity Beach Spa & Bou-tiki, which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, courtesy of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.

Located at 112 Bridge St., Searenity offers a wide variety of products including soaps, candles, lotions, CBD products, clothing and more. They also offer massage therapy in the location on Bridge Street as well as on the beach.  

“We’re the only people from about Naples to the other side of St. Pete that offer massages in a tiki hut on the beach,” said Searenity owner Amanda Escobio Ryan. “We started out just doing beach massages, but I realized that with the extreme summer heat and rain, I really needed an indoor space, so we moved in here. We have three air-conditioned massage rooms.”  

Ryan also owns Searenity’s sister spa, Body & Sol Spa and Wellness in Anna Maria, which offers yoga, facials, manicures, pedicures and more ways to look and feel your best.

Ryan has been a member of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce for more than a decade and was excited to be honored with the ribbon cutting. Along with Ryan’s husband, children and friends, many Chamber members were on hand, as well as Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie.

Searenity Spa & Bou-tiki is open by appointment for massages and the shop hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and later on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Find them online.

Christmas on Bridge Street

Christmas on Bridge Street nears

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Featured, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – Sponsored by the Bridge Street Merchants and the Anna Maria Island Sun, the annual Christmas on Bridge Street holiday celebration will unfold on Saturday, Dec. 15.

This year’s family-friendly holiday celebration will start around 5 p.m. and take place at the east end of Bridge Street, near the Bridge Tender Inn and the historic Bridge Street Pier.

Santa will be making his rounds on a golf cart and stopping by the participating businesses to have his picture taken with the kids – and the grownups too. Children’s holiday crafts activities are being planned, and participating restaurants and bars will be offering special drinks and/or drink specials.

Live music and Christmas carols will be performed on a flatbed trailer parked along the east end of Bridge Street. At some point during the festivities, the stage and the performers will take a spin around the block.

And if all goes according to plans, Bridge Street will feature new Christmas decorations this year courtesy of the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. The decorations are being purchased from and installed by Christmas Designers, the firm that decorates University Boulevard and the University Town Center mall in Sarasota.

Drift In/Privateers’ fundraiser

Also taking place that night on Bridge Street will be the annual holiday fundraiser hosted by the Anna Maria Island Privateers and the Drift In. The Dec. 15 fundraiser and toy collection event will help provide Christmas gifts and holiday meals for this year’s adopted holiday families.

New toys can be dropped off at the Drift In, 120 Bridge St., before the Dec. 15 fundraiser as well as on the day of the event, and the Drift In bartenders can provide a list of toys and other needed items in advance.

Christmas tree lighting

Christmas tree lighting and outdoor movie too

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – On Saturday, Nov. 25, the Bridge Street Merchants will host its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The holiday celebration will take place on Bridge Street, in the vacant lot between Fish Hole Adventure Golf and the Island Time Inn.

Santa Claus is scheduled to arrive at 4:30 p.m. The Magic of Manatee A Cappella Sweet Adeline Chorus will be there as well, singing beautiful renditions of beloved Christmas carols. The tree will be lit when darkness falls at or around 6 p.m. The tree lighting will be followed by an outdoor screening of the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story.”

This free family event will also feature hot chocolate and popcorn. Those planning to stay for the movie are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Local musician and music promoter Steve Arvey is assisting the merchants association in organizing this year’s ceremony.

The Bridge Street Merchants will host its annual Christmas on Bridge Street celebration on Saturday, Dec. 16.