June 2 vote involves property acquisition
The Sarasota County Commission has taken another step in its efforts to create a 12-foot-wide, multi-use trail from the county’s 17th Street Regional Park to Nathan Benderson Park.
As part of its unanimous approval of most of its Consent Agenda of routine business matters during its regular meeting on June 2, the board authorized the acquisition of property for the trail. The resolution the commissioners adopted explained that the “proposed real property interests for the project will be sought voluntarily,” with one purchase and one temporary construction easement expected to be needed.
“In addition,” the resolution continued, “the County anticipates granting a temporary construction easement back to a property owner to allow construction of the trail segment on [that person’s] property as part of private development, thereby avoiding delays” in completing the real acquisitions, the memo pointed out.
The resolution further noted that the trail will extend from 17th Street Regional Park along the north side of 17th Street to the east side of Honore Avenue. Then it will “continue to the southwest entrance of Nathan Benderson Park and proceed through the park to connect with its existing internal trail system …”
The trail will be approximately 1.5 miles long, providing “a critical connection between the Legacy Trail and the Lakewood Ranch area, with an anticipated future connection to [the planned Interstate 75] overpass in the same general area.
The resolution also said that the design of the undertaking “is nearing completion” and is under review by the staff of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for acceptance after the commission approves what is known as a Local Agency Participation agreement with FDOT. That agreement pertains to the construction of the trail.
A staff memo that was included in the commission’s agenda packet for the same business item noted that the FDOT funding will go solely toward construction.
That memo pointed out, as well, that the board members on May 5 approved a modification of the design of the trail, as The Sarasota News Leader reported.
A memo in the board’s packet for its May 5 meeting explained that the initial construction work will be paid for out of revenue derived from the county’s extra penny of sales tax, known as the Surtax Program. The grant the county expects to receive from FDOT, that memo continued, will provide the additional $2,988,871 for construction.
The trail from the 17th Street Regional Park to Nathan Benderson Park also will be considered part of the Florida Gulf Coast Trail, for which the Trust for Public Land in Florida has been advocating.
