County backs Indian River Lagoon Greenway with $100,000

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Last summer, the Board of County Commissioners gave the go ahead to a planned greenway along the Indian River Lagoon south of the 17th Street Causeway and this week backed up that support with $100,000 cash and a vote to make the county the lead agency in applying for grants to fund the 187-acre recreation and conservation area.

“I think this is a great project,” Commissioner Bob Solari said Tuesday after a presentation from the Indian River Land Trust. 

The group’s executive director, Ken Grudens, asked the county to allocate up to $100,000 as a match for grants the organization is seeking.

Solari added that the Indian River Lagoon Greenway would create a new dynamic for the county. “These things have tremendous synergies,” the commissioner said, noting that such recreational opportunities have surpassed the popularity of golf in certain communities.

“Staff is 100 percent behind” this request, County Administrator Joe Baird said of allocating the $100,000 to the Indian River Land Trust.

The Indian River Lagoon Greenway will run along a one-mile stretch of the lagoon extending from behind the southern end of Provence Bay all the way south to the wetlands behind Vista Royale and McKee Gardens. If all goes well, construction could begin in the fall of 2010.

The site will link lands owned by a private developer, the Florida Inland Navigation District, St. John’s River Water Management District, the Indian River Land Trust and Indian River County in a cooperative effort to promote conservation and recreation. On this tract, the developers would construct an educational kiosk, trails, boardwalks, and observation decks that will offer visitors scenic vistas looking out over the Indian River Lagoon.

Birding enthusiasts will also enjoy a wetland outpost at a pond where native water birds including a variety of ducks, herons, pelicans and egrets, as well as bald eagles, hawks, ospreys, owls and seasonal migrating birds can be viewed in their natural habitat. The goal of greenways — and their water counterparts, blueways — are to link together undeveloped areas, creating a continuous chain of conservation, recreation and habitat for wildlife and migratory birds.

Grudens said plans are progressing on schedule. With most of the design work completed, he will begin to work with county staff to submit the grant applications to make the Indian River Lagoon Greenway a reality.

Engineer David Knight of Knight McGuire and Associates, a 25-year resident of Vero Beach and avid cyclist, donated mapping and design services to the project because of both the conservation and recreation aspects. A John’s Island family donated the seed money that launched the project back in July, giving the Land Trust the ability to leverage existing sources of funding to cobble together the needed resources for site preparation and construction.

A burgeoning Friends of the Indian River Lagoon Greenway group has been established to partner with the local agencies to promote and enhance the greenway by raising awareness, coordinating volunteers and and conducting education programs.

Chief of Environmental Planning Roland DeBlois and other staffers were urged to provide support to the land trust in applying for grants from the Florida Inland Navigation District and other agencies to offset the expected $460,000 cost of initial facilities, which will include parking areas and restrooms. The county has signed on as lead agency on the grants because the various government entities require a municipality to receive and maintain control over the funds.

Beyond providing recreational and eco-tourism opportunities, Grudens said there are advantages to having the lands made into a greenway as opposed to just remaining vacant, undeveloped property.

“The bonus is that you are more actively managing the land for the natural resources, keeping the exotics out and educating people about the Indian River lagoon. We’re improving, enhancing and educating,” Grudens said upon initial approval of the project.

For more information about the Indian River Lagoon Greenway, visit the Indian River Land Trust website at www.indianriverlandtrust.org and click on projects and the Lagoon Greenway tab.

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