Miles and Miles of Trails

Written by Diane Galemmo Wednesday, 01 July 2009 15:18

June 2009

More than $1 million of federal stimulus funds have been earmarked for the extension of the Jay B. Starkey Park Wilderness Trail.   This trail extension had been included in the county's long-range plan of projects to be built by 2025.  It was not expected to happen so soon, but Pasco officials put the trail on their wish list for federal stimulus dollars and their wish came true.  Now the trail project can move ahead much more quickly.
 
“Stimulus funds awarded for the trail in Pasco will fund the Starkey Park multi-use path connection.  This connection will run along Massachusetts Ave./Decubellis Rd. from Congress St. to Starkey Blvd., which already has trails/sidewalks and provides access to Starkey Park which is located along Starkey Blvd. [off S.R. 54],” according to Martha S. Campbell, administrative services manager of Pasco County Parks and Recreation.

The existing trail can be accessed from Starkey Blvd. in Trinity, or from River Crossing Blvd. in New Port Richey. The Starkey Park trails also are interconnected with the trail next to the Suncoast Parkway toll road.  Trails in Starkey Park comprise 4.5 miles of hiking trail; 6.5 miles of bicycle trail; and 9 miles of equestrian trail.  The bicycle trail connects to the Suncoast Trail which extends 21 miles in Pasco County.
 
With the proposed extension, the multi-use trails for pedestrians and cyclists will extend from the 8,000-acre park approximately four miles along Massachusetts Ave./DeCubellis Rd. and will continue up to Congress St. in New Port Richey.
 
Another proposed trail which did not benefit from the stimulus funds and which remains on the 2025 wish list, could run along Keystone Rd. in north Pinellas County, then through the Trinity area and finally link to the Starkey Park trail system, according to a long-range plan presented at the February meeting of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
 
According to Kathryn Starkey, a representative from the Governor’s office to the State Greenways and Trail Council (as well as a Pasco County School Board member), “The link between the Starkey trail and the Pinellas trail has been in the works for three or four years, at least.  The hope is to avoid public acquisition, but encourage private donation for the link. 

The Starkey family donated right of way along Starkey Blvd. and the Mitchell family will do the same when Starkey extends south of S.R. 54.  All that remains is a small distance, as Pinellas will bring up a spur through the Eldridge Wilde property and connect with ours [the Starkey trail]. This connection will allow for access to trails from St. Petersburg all the way to Citrus County and should be a major tourist attraction for the area.  The trail is the most widely used recreational facility in the county and will only be enhanced by the connection.”

“The MPO has ranked this connection as its top trail priority in the area,” Kathryn adds.  “It has been my goal to help the state with its mission to link our communities with a world class trail system and the Starkey-Pinellas link will be a huge step towards reaching that goal.”