By Carol Porter
The Village of Wellington hosted the first of two public meetings about possible multi-purpose pathways along the C-2 Canal and Horseshoe Trace on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Binks Forest Elementary School.
Representing the village at the lightly attended meeting were Assistant Planning, Zoning & Building Director Mike O’Dell and Village Planner Ryan Harding.
The project would need state grant funding, and Wellington is at the beginning stages of listening to residents’ comments on the project. Another similar meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at Wellington Landings Middle School, located at 1100 Aero Club Drive.
The pathways could be used for a variety of uses, including pedestrian traffic, scooters, bikes and other means of transportation, but not equestrian traffic.
O’Dell and Harding gave an overview on the tentative project and said that the improvements would be along Horseshoe Trace, with a total cost of about $684,000, and of that, about $500,000 would be eligible for reimbursement from a Transportation Alternatives Grant from the Palm Beach County Transportation Planning Agency.
The project is comprised of installing a 10-foot-wide asphalt pathway along the C-2 Canal and Horseshoe Trace, connecting the existing pathways on Paddock Drive, Greenview Shores Blvd. and Bent Creek Road, and providing better connectivity in the area.
O’Dell and Harding said that the village would be gathering information and taking it to the state level, and they would not know until later if the project gets approved for funding. Construction is likely several years away.
After the presentation, O’Dell and Harding asked if there were any comments or questions.
Two residents in attendance who lived on Horseshoe Trace, Christian Lanza and Belen Andrews, voiced concerns about the project.
Andrews asked a series of questions about the connectivity and the use of the trails. She was concerned about sending her kids to school and wanted to know if the trails would be a good way to access the nearby schools. “Is this the best way to send them to school?” Andrews asked.
Lanza also had concerns about the trails and how they would be connected.
“I’m worried about the pathways and the traffic on Horseshoe Trace,” he said.
For those who cannot attend the meetings, the village is offering an overview and survey online. It can be accessed at www.wellingtonfl.gov/civicalerts.
