Committee asks staff for updated trails map, easement status and plan refresh of 2009 greenway plan

The Town of Loxahatchee Groves Roadway, Trails and Greenway Advisory Committee on Feb. 27 reviewed the 2009 Master Roadway, Equestrian and Greenway plan and directed staff to prepare a simplified map of existing and proposed trails, document which trails sit on dedicated easements versus permissive use on private property, and outline next steps for securing easements or interlocal agreements.

Committee members described F Road as the most complete existing trail and said portions of Sea Road and other north–south corridors follow canal banks but lack continuous, dedicated easements. Staff reported that Gruber’s paving is complete and a side trail installation is expected within months, improving local connectivity. Members raised Hyde Park as an example where town or district crews are clearing a drainage easement to restore outflow; property owners have permitted work but have not yet dedicated that easement to the town or district.

Committee members noted historical barriers to implementation: limited dedicated funding and property-owner resistance. One participant recalled an earlier trail project (Ephraim connection) that took seven years and significant legal and consultant expense to secure continuous public access. Committee members said recent town budgets showed roughly $20,000 set aside for trails in prior years that has been carried forward and used primarily for signage; they cautioned that signage alone does not create legal trail access where easements are absent.

Because the staff liaison Richard was not present, Chair Frank Sciola summarized the meeting’s purpose and said the discussion was intended as an introduction to the plan rather than a decision point. "All this was meant to do today was to be an introduction, to where we're where we're at," Sciola said. The committee tabled any final recommendations to the next meeting and asked staff to provide: a simplified, color-coded town map showing (a) existing trails on dedicated easements, (b) permissive use areas on private property, and (c) proposed trail connections; an inventory of outstanding easement commitments and which landowners have given permission; and an estimate of actions and costs required to improve connectivity.

Members also discussed pursuing interlocal agreements with Palm Beach County for use or expansion of county-owned trail areas (for example, parts of West Royal Palm Natural Area) and exploring whether hospital-owned drainage property adjacent to Vinceramos (hospital site name given in the meeting) could be leased or annexed for multiuse trail development. The committee asked staff to attempt to deliver the requested map and a clearer scope of next steps prior to the committee’s next scheduled meeting so members can meet with their council representatives and prepare recommendations.