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JACKIE RIPLEYHow do you want the Greenway to look? The public is invited to a meeting in which landscape plans for the linear park will be mapped out.
TOWN 'N COUNTRY - A committee today will plant the conceptual seeds for the next leg of Town 'N Country's linear Greenway park.
The 1 p.m. meeting at West Gate Library seeks to map out landscape plans for what has become a showcase of Town 'N Country.
"We want to use the talents and energies of the county staff and the Town 'N Country community to beautify the extension," said Rob Gamester, chairman of the Town 'N Country Greenway Committee. "We'll have a complete layout of the Greenway at the meeting."
Representatives from the Hillsborough County Department of Parks and Recreation will attend, along with the county Office of Neighborhood Relations, Green Thumb Nursery, Town 'N Country Park Home Owners Civic Association, Town 'N Country Garden Circle and the Town 'N Country Youth Council.
The public is invited.
The paved trail, now 1.4 miles long, will be extended this fall to George Road on the east and Sheldon Road on the west.
Greenway committee volunteers must determine such things as what portion of the field will be left vacant and who will be responsible for maintenance.
Specifically, they want to make sure a parking lot and a new bridge over Webb Road "fit into the overall park design and have a park atmosphere," Gamester said.
The civic association has grown 200 trees from seedlings, and someone must plant these too. Organizers hope to enlist teens through the Town 'N Country Youth Council.
Town 'N Country's Garden Circle also will play a major role in the trail's beautification, making sure landscapers use native foliage and that whatever is placed in the ground attracts wildlife.
"I think with the right habitat and environment we'll be able to bring in some bluebirds and that would be awesome," said Lois McLane, president of the Garden Circle. "We'll need some larger blooming flowers that would attract birds and bush plants to give protection."
McLane, a retired teacher, said she has counted about 60 different species of birds along the trail but no bluebirds. She's been working with children at Woodbridge Elementary to build bluebird nest boxes to try and change that.
"The trail is used for a lot of things, not just walking and exercise," she said. "People are using it to enjoy nature."
- Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813) 268-5308 or ripley@sptimes.com