3:27 p.m.
ALACHUA COUNTY - Five public meetings are scheduled in October to present recommendations and obtain input on a proposed Waterways Master Plan for Alachua County.
The draft plan was developed over the past year and a half for the Parks & Recreation Division of the Public Works Department of Alachua County by a team of consultants from the University of Florida.
The UF Waterways Master Plan Team has scheduled four meetings in quadrants of the County and one in Gainesville to get input from residents and waterways users.
The recommendations were developed based on input from a random telephone survey, an open access Web-based survey, meetings with individual stakeholder groups, a field survey taken at boat ramps, and a series of meetings aimed at achieving consensus on recommendations.
The primary goal of the Countywide Waterways Master Plan is to insure that the County's natural water resources continue to provide enjoyable and productive experiences for residents, recreational users, and commercial users. The plan will also provide a blueprint for safe and sustainable use of the waterways now and in the future.
After hearing from the public at the five meetings, the Waterways Master Plan Team may revise the recommendations and include them in a final report to the Alachua County Commission in November.
The public is invited to any of the following meetings:
Meeting 1
Thursday, Oct. 4, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Hawthorne City Hall
City Commission Room
6700 SE 221st St. (formerly known as Johnson St.)
Hawthorne
Meeting 2
Monday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Downtown Alachua County Library
Meeting Room A (top floor)
401 East University Ave.
Gainesville
Meeting 3
Saturday, Oct. 13, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Davis Center, Santa Fe Community College
17500 SW Archer Road
Archer
Meeting 4
Saturday, Oct. 20, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Civic Center
330 N.W. Santa Fe Boulevard
High Springs
Meeting 5
Tuesday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
204 Highway 26
Melrose
For more information, please contact Larry Schnell, researcher, at (352) 336-6920, or Robert Avery, Alachua County Parks Superintendent, at (352) 374-5245.
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