Donations needed for upcoming Roadways and Waterways Community Celebration in February

The City of North Port is seeking individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in getting involved in a Roadways and Waterways Community Celebration to recognize a Road Bond Project and a Blueways Project. Donations are needed for prizes, food and drinks. The City is also looking for entertainment and those organizations and businesses interested in hosting information tables.

The City will be hosting the celebration from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at McKibben Park, 5500 Trekell Street. The celebration will include a ribbon cutting and groundbreaking to recognize two major projects that will enhance the quality of life for North Port residents. Entertainment, food, beverages, information tables, prizes and giveaways are planned for the celebration.

The City’s Road Bond Project Phases 4, 5, and 6 will officially kick off construction with a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. during the event. Immediately following the groundbreaking, the City will conduct a ribbon cutting to celebrate the end of construction of Phase I of its Blueways Project, which will open up a portion of the City’s canals to canoeing and kayaking.

“Both of these projects make a huge difference in the quality of life for our residents, and we are hoping that the community will help us to host the celebration,” said Community Outreach Manager Erin Bryce. “We are looking for individuals, businesses, and organizations interested in helping to contribute food, drinks, prizes, and giveaways. We also are seeking any nonprofit or businesses interested in hosting information tables.”

Those who are interested should contact Community Outreach Manager Erin Bryce at (941) 429-7165 or at ebryce@cityofnorthport.com.

The City’s Road Bond Project is one of the biggest road resurfacing projects in the City’s history. Phases 4, 5 and 6 consist of roadways in neighborhoods along the Sumter Boulevard corridor, Cranberry Boulevard corridor and South Haberland Boulevard. Many of the roadways defined in Phases 4, 5, and 6 will either be resurfaced as part of the Road Bond or receive necessary routine maintenance. Drainage work is also part of the project. Work is anticipated to be finished by late 2016.

This is the third of several neighborhood Road Bond celebrations. The Road Bond Project, which began in 2014, includes the rehabilitation of 266 miles of substandard neighborhood roads throughout the 104.1-square-mile city. The project, which spans the City, was split into eight construction phases. Phase 1 and 2 encompassed the North Port Estates and finished in 2014. Phase 3, which encompassed more than 7,000 homes along Biscayne Drive, finished earlier this year.

The City of North Port also will be celebrating the completion of Phase I of the Blueways project. The project is currently under construction. When completed, residents will be able to navigate between four parks by canoe, kayak, or any other non-motorized boat. The parks include Butler Park, Dallas White Park, McKibben Park, and Blue Ridge Park. The project includes portages around water control structures that will allow users to traverse 6 miles of waterways. Each portage has a platform for users to dock, walk their vessels around the structure and re-launch. This is the first phase of several that are planned to open up the City’s waterways for more recreational use.

“We hope the community will join us in celebrating these two major projects. This is a great opportunity for individuals, organizations and businesses to make a difference and get involved in these two projects,” Bryce said.

For questions about the Road Bond Project, contact the Department of Public Works at (941) 240-8050. For questions about the Blueways Project, contact Parks and Recreation at (941) 429-7275. For information about the celebration or to donate to the celebration, contact Community Outreach at (941) 429-7165.