Legacy Trail extension cost estimate reaches $60 million

The cost to extend the Legacy Trail from Palmer Ranch to Payne Park may be more than double the roughly $29 million estimated in a 2015 feasibility study.

To that end, the Sarasota County Commission might consider pursuing a referendum to authorize more than the charter-limited $22.6 million in spending for the project, according to a memo from Public Works Director Isaac Brownman. Commissioners will hear an update from staff Wednesday. 

“Because of the magnitude of the land purchase and overall total project cost, Sarasota County does not currently have the funding available to commit to the 2017 payment but we are exploring various options to address the current terms,” he wrote in the memo. The county is also pursuing state funding through the SUNTrail program, which offers $25 million annually, as well as federal grants and gifts from philanthropic organizations.

Rep. Joe Gruters last month filed a request for $15 million in state funds to support the project.

“I think extending it all the way to Payne Park is a home run,” he said in a previous interview with the Sarasota Observer. “And if I can’t get it done this year, I’m pledging to the people of Sarasota I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen by the time I leave office.”

In the original feasibility study, consultant Cardno estimated it would cost about $9 million to acquire the 7.5 miles of railroad from CSX Transportation. But an appraisal of the corridor pegged a price at $44 million, and the Trust for Public Land — which would buy the land and then sell it to the county on the same terms — is negotiating for a sale between $36 million and $40 million.

In total, the project is slated to cost between $56 million and $60 million. If county commissioners chose to pursue a voter referendum, staff recommended it take place during the 2018 midterm elections.