[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6364635,"mediaKeyId","2163185-5008909eb5193da1de7d113c701f6fae","parentId",2163185,"title","Advisory committee reviews rural road standards, agrees meeting schedule; members sworn in and elect chair and vice chair","audioSeconds",2160,"startMs",3240000,"endMs",5400000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2163185-5008909eb5193da1de7d113c701f6fae&start=3240&end=5400","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2163185-5008909eb5193da1de7d113c701f6fae/thumbnail_3240000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6364635/Florida/Advisory-committee-reviews-rural-road-standards-agrees-meeting-schedule-members-sworn-in-and-elect-chair-and-vice-chair","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6364635-2a9da589257f4ffbde4a41fe38982bc8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775968332&Signature=GfmERlQvMtlswLOqbod4p6b~-pdIjycdgH33h6loMABuzsPsmgamnJkwYxZB0kMngdZ3Gs7OUg-9FxPgeSLxIdqDmfcRyACYGogDa1dCcR8sNhtHgwAUShp3TAkOIAweh5EOgN1S6Nkivy8PF8BVYsZClwveCJ0olaguLsZpBJPlvjOYmeEb78kyDNPs02qFQpaD6XhstNyIF~tnPT39LMXOU75F3VD68qNmSL9IQkxaRfcYvNORauYigYRh5v7LKreUX~FxPmkTzaPLYmYiLqKcDgFcSLSzO56GTDuLWO2FphjxG4rspWWIjtYYExiDrFCwYjSDQFOa50tPBjRYTA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Loxahatchee Groves, FL","date","2025-01-29T13:27:56Z","article","The Roadway, Equestrian, Trails and Greenway Advisory Committee reviewed a draft of the town’s updated Rural Road Improvement Standards on Jan. 28 and discussed a range of implementation issues from signage to easements and canal maintenance.

Town Manager Francine Romaglia and Public Works Director Richard Gallant presented the standards document and asked the committee to review it and return comments to staff. Romaglia said the document “reflects how the roads will be built” and noted it does not address whether roads will be paved or when—rather, it sets construction and maintenance specifications, drainage requirements, and parameters for bike and equestrian facilities.

Committee members raised several recurring concerns. Signage was a high priority: staff said the town recently ordered signs and has limited sign-budget capacity (about $20,000 cited for near-term sign purchases), and committee members urged replacement of horse-safety signage at key locations such as Okeechobee Boulevard and the North Road bridge. Gallant said individual sign-plus-post costs run roughly $300, and Romaglia noted the town had replaced nearly 200 stop signs in the past year as higher-priority regulatory signs were repaired.

Easements and right-of-way constraints were another focus. Gallant described a townwide review of canal cross-sections and right-of-way widths using resiliency-study data; he said the town’s typical right-of-way is 60 feet on most roads, with a 136-foot segment on Dee Road, and that staff will continue mapping to identify where trail or shoulder space can be inserted.

Committee members also discussed drainage and maintenance challenges along canal banks and shell-rock road surfaces. Gallant explained the town’s method for stabilizing road edges—removing and replacing material on the road edge with compacted shell rock—and said the town is evaluating equipment (mower/brush cutter attachments) and techniques to clear and maintain canal faces more effectively.

On governance and committee business, the Jan. 28 meeting included formal swearing-in of committee members and the election of officers. Sandy Brown, town clerk assistant, administered the oath of office; the committee then selected a chair and vice chair. A motion to select the chair passed unanimously and the committee elected Frank Shiolo as chair; Darcy Dean Murray was elected vice chair by unanimous voice vote.

The committee set a tentative next meeting date for Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. in council chambers and agreed to hold a public outreach session on trails (consultant-led) on or about Feb. 11. Staff asked that members submit written comments on the rural road standards in advance so responses can be compiled for the committee’s next meeting.

Romaglia and Gallant told members the standards will be presented to town council for additional review; staff expect the earliest adoption could occur in April, after council vetting and committee input.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to accept agenda changes (reorder items and add swearing in/selection of officers): passed unanimously (voice vote).
- Motion to select chair (Frank Shiolo): passed unanimously (voice vote).
- Motion to select vice chair (Darcy Dean Murray): passed unanimously (voice vote).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","1/28/2025 Roadway, Equestrian Trails and Greenway Advisory Committee Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The committee reviewed draft rural road improvement standards, discussed sign replacement, easement and canal issues, and set follow-up steps; Frank Shiolo and Darcy Dean Murray were sworn in as chair and vice chair after motions that passed unanimously.","taxTitle","Town of Loxahatchee Groves, Palm Beach County, Florida","taxId",75779,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6364639,"Town considers multiuse trail, horse crossings on Okeechobee Boulevard ahead of Feb. 14 TPA grant deadline",2530,131000,2661000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2163185-5008909eb5193da1de7d113c701f6fae&start=131&end=2661","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2163185-5008909eb5193da1de7d113c701f6fae/thumbnail_131000.jpg","/articles/6364639/Florida/Town-considers-multiuse-trail-horse-crossings-on-Okeechobee-Boulevard-ahead-of-Feb-14-TPA-grant-deadline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6364639-1f991ac7c6e4442036dd46cb57353452/orig.mp4?Expires=1775968332&Signature=N6r-pTPj9X7B1YUKjI87Y1pkWzE0kvrKHp4gXRSQBhsyn00M5zeLO-YIiVI5dHRXWBD~g9GQTWCRmg11rU0yJUfQHWKz9FguRMv9OftiZCdI~XjhwTZU0aynWMg08hDF~kB9TqhuW265ugmKRssyeSSQ~WeutdriIKJubthfn5VKDogDoKYKcqoPIuTanP7n5vziUYVngUX2gCVCsxkQny5nX8c4A2eSRxilwZcNrAdCFTtvlU7AYSf7ClBJ5e2LOiEw9v945xT1CWBl4MPgFKY3sAHxb1LAv5wrBMTyP9UBNIFMYF0KkWp5FemvXvKVDCRrKOQj-IGfgPXdWI1AqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mary McNicholas, of Jeffrey B. Sluggett Associates and a Town of Loxahatchee Groves resident, told the Roadway, Equestrian, Trails and Greenway Advisory Committee on Jan. 28 that the town needs to submit a Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) Transportation Alternatives grant application by Feb. 14 to fund a multiuse trail and crossings on Okeechobee Boulevard.

The consultants’ concept updates a 2019 application and would add multiuse trail segments and protected crossings across major letter roads. “We need to actually put in the application by February 14th,” McNicholas said, and she and Trish Barr of Simmons and White asked committee members for input at a Feb. 11 community outreach session they plan to hold.

The nut of the discussion was cost, right-of-way and safety. Trish Barr, a traffic engineer, said an earlier version of the project used roughly $886,000 in federal funds plus about $480,000 committed by the town for a total of roughly $1.39 million; she estimated current prices would push a similar package to about $1.2 million. Barr cautioned that costs have risen “about 20%” to “25%” since the prior design and that components can be phased rather than built in a single year.

Committee members and residents pressed on details. Barr offered a ballpark figure for a single crossing in the low hundreds of thousands: “a crossing is between $25,000–$300,000,” and she later clarified a common mid-range estimate at “200 and 250,000.” The conceptual design includes a fence along the multiuse corridor; Barr said the original fence estimate for the length of Okeechobee was about $94,000.

Design constraints discussed included drainage, the position of existing asphalt sidewalks and the need to show control of right-of-way. Richard Gallant, public works director and the committee’s staff liaison, said the town already has “all of the known right of way” for Okeechobee and is mapping parcel and canal cross-section widths townwide; he added that the town’s resiliency data will let staff report widths roughly every 500 feet. Committee members noted the town’s typical right-of-way is 60 feet on most roads and 136 feet on one Dee Road segment.

Safety and signal visibility were a recurring concern. Committee members said rectangular rapid-flashing beacons currently appear white and are hard to see when sunny; Barr responded that the flashing beacons are national-standard devices when federal funds are used and that color changes are typically limited by national codes, though additional advance signage or placement adjustments are possible. Barr also noted some communities use fencing, raised crosswalks or speed-message signs to increase driver awareness.

Speakers emphasized that the project can be phased. Barr said communities sometimes fund crossings first and add longer trail segments later, and recommended the town present an overarching vision and identify a first phase to maximize grant competitiveness. McNicholas and Barr will prepare the application and requested committee feedback; they said they would return for a Feb. 11 public-input session and remain available to committee members between meetings.

The presentation also flagged dependencies: some corridor ideas would require coordination with Palm Beach County (canal banks and drainage) and with FDOT and TPA on what costs federal funds will cover, and the consultants said certain specialized pavement or colored stamped asphalt might not be covered by the grant. Gallant confirmed the town had roughly $20,000 remaining from a prior North Trail grant and that no current town budget line exists specifically for trails.

The committee discussed short-term, low-cost measures that are not grant-dependent, including replacing or adding horse-crossing signage at entry points to the town and near the North Road bridge and considering sponsored signage if town funds are constrained. The presenters said they will check whether stamped asphalt or other specialized surfacing is an eligible cost and will provide more precise cost estimates after further site measurement and design work.

The presentation closed with an agreed next step: the consultants will host a public outreach meeting on or about Feb. 11 and will finalize and submit the TPA application by Feb. 14.","Consultants presented a revised concept for a multiuse trail—intended for walkers, bicyclists and equestrians—along Okeechobee Boulevard and urged the committee to provide input before a Transportation Planning Agency grant application due Feb. 14; costs, right-of-way limits, and crossing design were the primary issues discussed.","actionData","errors"]

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Advisory committee reviews rural road standards, agrees meeting schedule; members sworn in and elect chair and vice chair

Town considers multiuse trail, horse crossings on Okeechobee Boulevard ahead of Feb. 14 TPA grant deadline