The Wellington Equestrian Preserve Committee discussed a number of projects last week at members’ request, as well as how items get on the agenda and when meetings are called.
At the March 9 meeting, Growth Management Director Robert Basehart said agenda items come from a number of sources, including from private developers if there is an application ready to go forward.
Meetings are quarterly, or more often if deemed necessary by the committee or village officials.
“If development activity is strong and applications are submitted every month and they’re… ready to move forward on a monthly basis, then you would have a monthly meeting,” he said.
He said that the committee will also meet as quickly as possible if there is an item it needs to review.
Vice Chair Michael Whitlow, who was presiding, said he was surprised when their last quarterly meeting was canceled because there were no agenda items. He asked whether members of the committee can call a meeting if they have items they want discussed. Basehart said they can. “There are a number of issues we all have,” Whitlow said.
Basehart added that the committee cannot meet without an agenda. “It’s a public meeting, and the meeting has to be noticed,” he said.
The next scheduled meeting is in three months, although an application has been made to amend the bed and breakfast code, which could require meeting sooner.
Wellington Projects Manager Mike O’Dell said he had nothing to offer immediately, although some projects are currently at staff level.
Committee Member Houston Meigs said that he thought the panel’s role is changing.
“The old issue of development has matured and there’s less of it,” he said. “Some of these other sort of operational things that we’ve talked about and planned about deserve a regular update because they will probably be more important to what this committee looks at and tries to influence.”
Meigs said items should have cycles of review — more than at the recommendation of approval level. Basehart pointed out that O’Dell had brought several projects before the committee two or three times as work progressed, made presentations and requested input. “We’ll continue to do that,” Basehart said.
Committee Member Richard Ellis asked why large projects such as the master plan are not brought to the committee on a more regular basis, and O’Dell said that the master plan is currently at a staff review level.
“There are plenty of things that we are working on,” O’Dell said. “If you have specific items on those subjects that we’ve been talking about and want to bring them forward, such as our meeting tonight, we can put together a meeting and we’ll talk about it.”
Giving a bridle trail update, O’Dell said that it has been adopted into the village’s comp plan, but there are still sections of the plan, including the Pierson Road trail, that are both public and private.
“Our discussions with the private sector have stopped,” he said, although the village has raised some private sections with fill that were heavily damaged by rain.
O’Dell added that the village is also trying to widen portions of the Pierson Road trail, although they are hampered by limited right of way.
He added that the village has received a $400,000 grant to build a crossing to connect two trails that stop at the C-15 Canal, as well as a culvert crossing at the C-10 Canal.
O’Dell said golf carts can now be made street-legal in the Equestrian Preserve Area, which will likely reduce their traffic on the bridle trails.
“We continue to struggle with the use of golf carts on the bridle trails,” he said. “What we are looking at is creating a multi-use pathway system, at least in the Equestrian Preserve Area.”
Meigs said it is hard to imagine where a multi-use path would go, given the limited easement in many areas.
O’Dell said that it would require a commitment by landowners to allow more right of way.
“We can put the plans together and move all of these things forward, but if we do not get the cooperation of these communities to back these kinds of things, then it won’t go anywhere,” he said.
Whitlow asked about the status of turn lanes planned for 40th Street South and 120th Avenue South, and O’Dell said that the developer responsible for 40th Street plans to start work after the season is over.
Basehart said the conditions of approval require that they finish the work by October, and the project is out to bid now.
A bid has been accepted on the Saddle Trail paving project, which is scheduled to start May 15, O’Dell said.
“The project is estimated at $4.8 million, including the installation of water mains, which is substantially below the original estimate of $8 million,” he said, adding that it is expected to be finished by November.
O’Dell said much information has been collected from the public on the master plan.
“Some of the concerns include the economic development, or a strategy for that; a best management plan; lot sizes; traffic performance standards; the widening of Lake Worth Road; an equestrian overpass, which we have talked about on a number of occasions; and the ag classification and its exemptions,” he said. “Those things are continuing to move, and researching all those things that we have heard from the public.”
Several members expressed concerns about the widening of Lake Worth Road and the potential completion of paving on Flying Cow Road, which they felt would provide a cut-through for anticipated traffic from developments planned west of the village.
O’Dell said that Wellington staff has considered that potential and will be taking steps to make State Road 80/Southern Blvd. the preferred alternative.
