Groundbreaking ceremony launches the Finish Tower at Nathan Benderson Park for world-class rowing in sunny Sarasota on August 20, 2015.
Spotted in the audience were Sarasota County Commissioners Charles Hines and Christine Robinson, Town of Longboat Key Commissioner Irwin Pastor (sat next to him, so my first time meeting him), John Krotec (who has been instrumental in organizing volunteers galore at the rowing regattas), restaurateur Michael Klauber (dressed in his crisp polo shirt with the Nathan Benderson Community Park Foundation crest) as well as Karla and Roy Dupuis of Sarasota Crew (yes, Karla and I used to be aerobics buddies at the Sarasota YMCA); their son André Dupuis just returned from a 5-week internship near Shanghai, China and will be heading off to Harvard to start his sophomore year. No surprise that the media was interviewing him before the groundbreaking. André was sporting his crimson short-sleeved jersey -- emblazoned with the white letter "H" -- because he has been rowing for the Harvard Men's Lightweight Crew, after his championship years with Sarasota Crew Men's Varsity 8.
Donning white shiny hardhats and armed with never-been-used-before shovels, the Sarasota County Commissioners and Benderson Development executives showed off their dig-and-toss skills:
I was so excited to bump into my gal pal Anne Essner (we used to play ladies doubles tennis at the Longboat Key Club's Tennis Gardens); she now serves on the board of the Nathan Benderson Community Park Foundation! We share our love of NYC because we're both proud alumnae of Columbia University (she boasts an MBA from Columbia, while my bachelor's degree in civil engineering hails from Columbia's Engineering School).
After noticing Randy Benderson of Benderson Development and Paul Blackketter (president of SANCA, which stands for Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates) strike their pose under the majestic palm trees, I could not help but get a photo with Paul Blackketter by the stunning renderings of the future Finish Tower:
The five-story Finish Tower will be a state-of-the art, glass-enclosed building, which will house not only the intricate timing equipment which will determine the teeth-clenching tie at the finish line, but also broadcast booths and suites for sponsors.
While Guy Peterson is the design architect for the Finish Tower (yes, I got to chitchat with Guy about Modern Architecture after the groundbreaking photos were done), Fawley|Bryant Architects will be the architect of record. Tandem Construction, who has built some of the latest and greatest sports facilities at the nearby IMG Academy in Bradenton, was represented by Peter Hayes (owner of Tandem) and Kent Hayes (Construction Services Coordinator). The design-build team of the Finish Tower also smiled with pride for their upcoming sports venue:
My favorite take-away from the Finish Tower's pomp and circumstance was the one liner from the effervescent Scott Anderson (Senior Philanthropic Advisor with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation), who also now serves as the Vice President of Philanthropy with the Nathan Benderson Community Park Foundation. He coined the new phrase: "Meet Me at the Nate!"
So I hope to see you all at "The Nate" for the U.S. Rowing Olympic Trials on April 18-24, 2016 -- prior to the athletes' trek to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics on August 5-21! And perhaps for the 2017 World Rowing Championships too!