A public meeting open house regarding plans for the Southwest Trails project will be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The meeting is a follow up to the first public meeting and is designed for community members to be able to drop in at any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to see updated designs and speak one on one with project team members.
Following the feedback received at the first public meeting, plans for the Southwest Trails project has been modified, including:
- The selection of trail routing alternatives.
- The addition of optional privacy fencing, available on a case-by-case basis for properties directly adjacent to the trail.
- Increased access control, with gates and fencing along the canal segments to allow for additional security.
Participants may attend in person by going to Melbourne City Hall, 900 E. Strawbridge Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32901. Attendees will be asked to follow all C.D.C recommended safety and sanitation guidelines. Persons who are not feeling well should not attend the in-person meeting.
All meeting materials, including the presentation, will be available on the project website at https://www.melbourneflorida.org/departments/engineering/sw-trails following the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be available on the website following the meeting.
The purpose of this project is to build approximately 3.7 miles of 10-foot-wide multi-use trail with pedestrian bridge structures along the City’s existing canal right of way. The trails consist of three segments that will include traffic safety elements such as mid-block crosswalk improvements, utility relocation, street lighting, and drainage modifications.
- Trail #1: Travels north-south beginning at the intersection of two canals, a quarter mile southeast of the Florida Avenue and Dairy Road intersection to Stack Boulevard, a quarter mile north of Palm Bay Road. The trail runs south along the west side of the canal to Range Road, where it crosses to the east side of the canal, continuing south and east until reaching Stack Boulevard.
- Trail #2: Travels west-east, beginning about a quarter mile south of Florida Avenue on Dairy Road to the South Babcock Street Trail. A spur within Southwest Park connects this trail to the Florida Avenue Trail. The trail runs east, beginning on the south side of the canal until it reaches the intersection of Trail #1, where it utilizes one long-span bridge to shift to the north side of the canal until it reaches Babcock Street.
- Trail #3: Travels north-south along the canal, beginning at Burr Street in the Booker Heights neighborhood, along Leonard Weaver Boulevard to the Florida Avenue Trail between Melbourne Central Catholic High School and the Islamic Society of Brevard County.
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. Persons wishing to express their concerns relative to compliance with Title VI may do so by contacting the City’s Title VI/ADA Coordinator, Tami Gillen, P.E., Assistant City Engineer at Tami.Gillen@mlbfl.org.
Persons who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Eric Trull, Public Involvement Consultant at (407) 569-8993 or Eric@valerin-group.com at least seven days prior to the meeting. If you are hearing or visually impaired, please contact us by using the Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).
