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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOther - Attached provided during Public Input by Ms. Lona Darroch Love Date: June 14, 2010 The attached was provided to the City during "Public Input" by Ms. Lona Darroch Love at the June 14, 2010 City Commission Regular Meeting. • making your r; 43- acre p arce is Light refreshn be served. promising .. Our position: The county was r to buy the land; now it needs to find the best uses. if ith more growth on the use as a multipurpose a 140 7 -- park. The city county's east side a cer- needs more ball fields. It also is promot- tainty, Seminole County ing construction of a Paw Park to ac -k commissioners did the commodate dog owners. A similar park right thing when they voted to buy 43 in Sanford has proved a huge success. acres of land near Winter Springs for a Another issue to be resolved in the ne- variety of. environmental Springs' role in _ ntal and recre- gotiations will be Winter Spri' rol �,H `' ational uses. ,� developing its portion of the property. It i:: Now the challenge is to put the land may be that the county will provide the # ' to its best uses. Competing interests cer- land but Winter Springs will be respon- , x, tainly will want a say in how the proper- sible for developing the park facilities ty is divided. It is up to the commission- and maintaining them. 3 ers to make the final decision, and they A unique aspect of this land deal is should carefully weigh those competing the prospect that the county may be able " ' x interests. to recover some of its costs by reselling Making the right decision about how about 10 acres of prime commercial Y� best to use the property is especially im- property fronting S.R. 434. Such corn- 4r portant because commissioners are us- mercial development also would help ing a novel approach to finance the pur -, Winter Springs' tax base. ch e The county will take the $4.3 mil- `s" Then, there is the important goal of on sale price from three sources: the making portions of the property avail - natural -lands acquisition program able to enhance the natural -lands pro - ($1.8 million), the trails program gram and trail system. The parking lot at -: ($1 million) and general revenue the Black Hammock Trailhead already , � ($1.5 million). is strained. Besides, the land clearly must be de- Plenty of concerns must be addressed voted to multiple uses to meet the area's before a final plan is mapped out for diverse environmental and recreational multiple uses of the property. Coming r needs. up with the right formula is a major The roe N'. - > .- property, rty, called Jetta Point, is on challenge for county commissioners, �` the southwest corner of State Road 434 Winter Springs officials, and supporters „v_.N and the Central Florida GreeneWay. It is of both the trails and the natural -lands next to the Black Hammock Trailhead program. �� " of the Cross Seminole Trail, already a Some members of the Natural Lands �� o ular t' , hu el g YP P county Advisory Committee already have com- ` . No matter the ultimate uses, the plained that the price for the land was :: � county's wisdom in buying the land is too high. They also have said the project sound. Such opportunities will become would not be of "much use in setting ,,, . % 7 �' much more scarce as the growth ma- aside environmentally sensitive lands��g� b °: chine marches eastward through Winter for protection. Among the opponents ° ,, x L Springs. are Winter Springs City Commissioner �� ' p Winter Springs has a particularly Cindy Gennell, who say s the purchase is high stake in how the land will be used. not in the best interest of either the trails The city is badly in need of recreational system or natural -lands program. �. fi h . land, a fact recognized by its residents. Despite such objections, buying the A $3.4 million bond issue to expand land was a good move. It just as likely " ;:" z ' :: Central Winds Park drew strong sup- could have become an undesirable com - port in a referendum last year. mercial development where none of the 4 y : A large portion of the Jetta Point proposed public uses would even be on , i, property may go to Winter Springs for the table.