ANOTHER BIKE TRAIL IN MOUNT DORA IS BEING STUDIED

ABOVE: Preliminary recommendation for route/alignment of the proposed Innovation Trail that could connect Mount Dora to Sorrento.

One thing’s for sure -- Mount Dorans are chomping at the bit for a trail.  The good news is that a few are on the table and arduously navigating through various required stages.  None are sure-things just yet, but work seems to be progressing, albeit slowly.    If all of the Lake County trail segments are eventually completed, the result will be a well-connected network of bicycle and pedestrian pathways that will help the local economy and provide a valued recreational amenity. 

On August 20, Mount Dora hosted a public meeting for the Proposed Innovation Trail Corridor Study presentation.   The Innovation Trail is being considered to link local neighborhoods to the larger planned Regional Trail, the Wekiva Trail, and downtown Mount Dora.  

Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), in partnership with the City of Mount Dora, is conducting the study to evaluate route alternatives for the proposed multi-use trail that would connect the Tremain Street Greenway in the City of Mount Dora and County Road 437 (Plymouth Sorrento Road) in Lake County (see map above).  The Tremain Street Greenway is a short segment of bike trail starting behind Mount Dora City Hall that was completed a few years ago after the City received a grant to build it.  The plan was for that segment to eventually connect to a larger trail system.   

The purpose of the more rural Innovation Trail project is to provide local bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between planned area developments and a regional trail network. The Innovation Trail shouldn’t be confused with the proposed Tav-Dora Trail that would extend from downtown Mount Dora to downtown Tavares.  

The public can submit comments about the study through September 4 after watching the project’s informational video.

The Cities of Mount Dora and Tavares, along with Lake County, applied for a Federal Build Grant to jointly complete the missing sections of the Wekiva Trail from its current location in Sorrento to Downtown Mount Dora and Downtown Tavares.  The local governments may learn the fate of their grant application  by the end of September. 

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