basketcase0302
Well-known member
Hey ya'll,
Don't quite sound like a 100% for sure thing but...we might have an airboat friendly park by August of next year here on the lake!
Published Sunday, April 1, 2007
Commission to Vote on Lake Kissimmee Park
By Tom Palmer
The Ledger
BARTOW - Polk County officials are close to a deal that will lead to the development of a new county park on Lake Kissimmee.
"It's scheduled to go to the commission on May 9," said Don Wilson, Polk's director of leisure services.
The 142-acre park will be located near the site of a former Shady Oaks Fish Camp on the lake's southwestern shore.
The deal to develop the park involves the South Florida Water Management District in West Palm Beach.
County and water district officials met at the site in June to discuss development of the new park. The land is part of a 3,000-acre site SFWMD officials purchased for $18.5 million in 2004 as part of the Kissimmee River restoration project.
Although 34,498-acre Lake Kissimmee is the fourth-largest lake in Florida, public access has been reduced substantially because of a series of purchases that resulted in the closing of three fish camps.
The only county parks in that area of Polk County are a small park with a boat ramp, a campground on Lake Rosalie and a boat ramp park on Lake Walk-in-Water.
Wilson said under the agreement, SFWMD officials will pay for the design and construction of the park and Polk County will be responsible for maintaining it.
Initially, facilities are expected to be relatively simple, consisting of an airboat launching area, two conventional boat ramps and picnic shelters, said Fred Davis, SFWMD's director of land stewardship.
"We have $1 million budgeted," he said, adding the project will also include a new access road because the current access is on what is now private property.
Wilson, who wants to eventually expand the park's facilities, said he hopes to have the park open by August of next year.
Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 10391/1004
Basketcase
edited to include the article as the link would ot work for me
Don't quite sound like a 100% for sure thing but...we might have an airboat friendly park by August of next year here on the lake!
Published Sunday, April 1, 2007
Commission to Vote on Lake Kissimmee Park
By Tom Palmer
The Ledger
BARTOW - Polk County officials are close to a deal that will lead to the development of a new county park on Lake Kissimmee.
"It's scheduled to go to the commission on May 9," said Don Wilson, Polk's director of leisure services.
The 142-acre park will be located near the site of a former Shady Oaks Fish Camp on the lake's southwestern shore.
The deal to develop the park involves the South Florida Water Management District in West Palm Beach.
County and water district officials met at the site in June to discuss development of the new park. The land is part of a 3,000-acre site SFWMD officials purchased for $18.5 million in 2004 as part of the Kissimmee River restoration project.
Although 34,498-acre Lake Kissimmee is the fourth-largest lake in Florida, public access has been reduced substantially because of a series of purchases that resulted in the closing of three fish camps.
The only county parks in that area of Polk County are a small park with a boat ramp, a campground on Lake Rosalie and a boat ramp park on Lake Walk-in-Water.
Wilson said under the agreement, SFWMD officials will pay for the design and construction of the park and Polk County will be responsible for maintaining it.
Initially, facilities are expected to be relatively simple, consisting of an airboat launching area, two conventional boat ramps and picnic shelters, said Fred Davis, SFWMD's director of land stewardship.
"We have $1 million budgeted," he said, adding the project will also include a new access road because the current access is on what is now private property.
Wilson, who wants to eventually expand the park's facilities, said he hopes to have the park open by August of next year.
Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 10391/1004
Basketcase
edited to include the article as the link would ot work for me
