Friday’s meeting at Circle B ended up focusing on a single project. That involved the development of educational, recreational and management facilities around an 11-acre pond that was dredged earlier this to eliminate a cattail monoculture and create more open water habitat.
County staff, who are hoping for a state grant to make this happen, are planning a number of improvements.
They include extending the trail system to this site, which is now not open to the public, adding a solar-powered educational kiosk, a floating boardwalk, a demonstration native plant garden, tanks for growing native aquatic plants such as eel grass and some work to improve habitat in that part of the property by establishing more pine trees and understory vegetation.
There was a brief mention of long-range plans to connect Circle B with the Marshall Hampton Reserve though wetlands bordering Lake Hancock. Polk officials are in the preliminary stages of hiring consultants to take a closer look at the project. The Florida Department of Transportation has also expressed an interest in becoming involved.
If that extension occurs, it would fill the last gap in a trail system that extends from Circle B to the Fort Fraser Trail to the Panther Point Trail and back to Circle B
One issue that is likely to arise is management of the lake swamp boardwalk, based on experiences at the Mosaic Peace River Park. That park’s boardwalk is closed periodically because of downed trees that damage or block the boardwalk.
Meanwhile, attendees learned that Friday’s meeting is the first of a series of public meeting that will lead to an update of Circle B’s management plan.
Stay tuned and stay involved.