Bradenton says Snooty can have his bash

BRADENTON - Snooty's birthday party will be going ahead as planned.

The aged manatee was not present at Wednesday's City Council meeting but his birthday bash scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 18 at the South Florida Museum will be happening since it was approved in the consent agenda on a 5-0 vote.

Other items approved in the consent agenda were:

• The reappointment of Rigo Rivera to the Housing Authority Board.
• A resolution requesting the sale of 925 23rd Street East from the state of Florida for the Norma Lloyd Park Project.
• A resolution revising the boundaries of the United Community Center properties.
• A wedding ceremony at Rossi Park on Saturday, July 11.
• A 2009 Bulletproof Vest Grant Application.
• A Pittsburgh Pirates Leasehold Mortgage and Security Agreements.

Modifications to a document called the International Property Maintenance Code received their first reading at Wednesday's meeting, and the council voted 5-0 to move ahead to a second reading at the July 15 meeting.

The council voted 5-0 to move ahead with the 2009 Justice Assistance Grant Application, which the Police Department will use for equipment for detectives and dispatchers.

A request for some street closures on Saturday July 4 from the First Baptist Church raised some concerns because of the streets the church wanted shut during a high-traffic time, but the council eventually approved the request 5-0.

City Attorney Bill Lisch asked the council to vote on adding two years to an agreement for a building that will provide senior living facilities but that the bank needed assurances. The measure passed 5-0.

The council also heard from State Rep. Bill Galvano on the legislative session's outcome and got a report on the state of the Sarasota Bay Estuary by Mark Alderson, the executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, on the state of the seagrasses. He said things are looking up for the environment of the bay.

The meeting ended at about 7 p.m.