Below find the details for Tuesday night's County Commission meeting concerning the Archer Braid multi-use (bike/ped) trail in Haile Plantation.

While it may not be obvious to near-campus dwellers, the Braid is critical to connectivity between UF campus and the west portion of Alachua County/Metro Gainesville. Ultimately it will connect to the campus via a vast multi-use connector through the planned Celebration Pointe development (CP developers have already agreed to construct a well-endowed multi-use as a condition of their zoning approval).

While I expect a heavy presence by the GCC Advocacy Committee, GCC Commuter Group, and concerned Haile residents, I would like to extend a special invitation to both club and team members who may not have been active in the past. The reason being this is the only item on the agenda for the evening, so you don't have to sit through hours of non-transportation related policy making.

If you address the Commission, remember to state that you are a registered voter, and any critical affiliations (grad student at UF, local business owner, etc . . . ), and if you are a bike or foot commuter. Because we tend to get cast as lycra-clad kamikaze cyclists, I tend to avoid mentioning our recreational riding (TF or GCC) and focus on my identity as a commuter.

I wanted to update you on the status of the Archer Braid Project. We are currently scheduled to bring the 30% plans to the Board of County Commissioners at a Special Meeting on September 4, 2012. The meeting will be begin at 5pm in the Jack Durrance Auditorium (Room 209) located on the second floor of the County Administration Building at 12 SE 1st Street, Gainesville, FL. At this point in time, the Archer Braid Project is expected to be the only item on the evening portion of the agenda.

We have also staked and marked the location of the proposed path along SW 91st Street and SW 46th Boulevard. Stakes were placed at approximately 100’ intervals and mark the edge of the path closest to the roadway. The ground was marked in between and at each stake to show the full width of the path in that location. You can also download the proposed 30% plans and view the location of the sidewalk in Google Earth by going to the project webpage at http://growth-management.alachuacounty.us/transportation_planning/significant_projects/.

Finally, several people have inquired about holding a vote of Haile Plantation residents. The County is not currently planning on holding a vote of the residents. You are welcome to provide any written comments if you have not already done so. All written comments will be provided to the County Commission. Otherwise, please attend the County Commission meeting on September 4th and offer your opinion in person.