Sarasota County Commissioners have approved a plans to bring Legacy Trail to the City of Sarasota.

http://blogaudio.virtualnewscenter.com/WENG-040215-Jennings-Legacy Trial Extension VO.mp3

Commissioners gave preliminary approval yesterday to extending the trail from its’ current end in Palmer Ranch north to Payne Park in downtown Sarasota. That’ll add almost 20-miles to the path, built along the former railroad line, from Venice all the way to Sarasota. The next step will be getting real estate apprailsals on the land they’ll need and start talks with CSX on how much it’s going to cost. The extension’s projected to cost as much as $30-million, and with budget shortfalls expected down, the county will have a problem paying for the extension. Trail supporters proposed the extension two years ago, and they raised private money to do the feasability study commissioners reviewed yesterday. The trail gets about 120,000 visitors annually.