North Lake Trail Input Sought At Upcoming Gathering

    Lake County has announced a public meeting to solicit input on the planned North Lake Trail. Officials will be on hand on December 8 in Umatilla, where the public will be able to hear about the ongoing plans for Phase 3 of the trail, slated to run from Umatilla to Astor.
   The purpose of the PD&E Study is to evaluate the potential impacts of the trail alignments proposed in the Corridor Planning Study (2019), resulting in a preferred trail alignment. The study will consider engineering analysis, environmental review, and public input as these alternatives are evaluated. It is anticipated that this study will be completed by Spring 2024.
   “The purpose of this study is to evaluate alternatives for the North Lake Trail Phase 3, a segment of the River to Hills regional trail. This study will focus on the trail segment from E. Altoona Road to State Road 40, which is approximately 16 miles in length. This trail is located within unincorporated Lake County, the Ocala National Forest, Altoona, and Astor Park. There will be no formal presentation. Participants may review project information and discuss the project with the study team at any time throughout the meeting. Information about nearby projects (such as the North Lake Trail design project from E. Collins Street to E. Altoona Road in Umatilla) will also be available for review. Meeting information and displays will be available for review on the project website (www.NorthLakeTrail.com/Outreach) on December 5,” said George Gadiel, project manager for Lake County.
   The meeting will also update the public on the current design phase for a section of the trail planned to run from CR 450 NE in Umatilla to East Altoona Road in Altoona.
   The meeting will convene at 5:30 p.m. on December 8 at the Cadwell Park community building, located on Cassady Street in downtown Umatilla. The meeting will be an open house event, and will remain open to public participation until 7:30 p.m.