Volusia County lays out multi-year master trails plan, pitches alternative trail surface for wildlife corridor

Volusia County parks staff on Tuesday presented a multi-year master trails plan that combines local ECHO set-aside funds, state SunTrail construction grants and federal/state partners to complete priority trail segments and close long-standing gaps.

Tim Bailey, Parks, Recreation and Culture director, said ECHO has set aside roughly $21 million for trails since 2005, with about $4.5 million in available fund balance and $2.1 million in reserves for future projects; with federal and state funds the county has built roughly 92 miles of paved trails. Bailey said state SunTrail funding (a statewide pool funded by vehicle registrations) focuses on construction of trail pavement but does not pay for amenities such as restrooms, parking lots or maintenance.

Bailey reviewed priority projects and cost estimates: the Lake Beersford Park to Old New York Avenue segment has a construction estimate of about $3.5 million and an estimated 2027 start; the Old New York to State Road 44 segment is estimated just under $2 million and is planned to start this year; other segments remain contingent on right-of-way, easement and utility coordination.

The presentation included plans for permanent prefab restrooms at GobblerE2s Lodge, Maytown Spur and Hickory Bluff, and discussed site utilities, septic, electronic locks (automatic locking at dusk/dawn) and maintenance staffing. Staff said the county is moving to modular restrooms to stabilize pricing and lower long-term site-prep costs.

A substantial portion of the discussion centered on a pilot using a honeycomb geotech (geo-web) fabric filled with stone and topped with crushed concrete as an alternative hard-packed surface inside the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Bailey and Nick Dunham (resource stewardship director) said the geo-web surface can support heavy equipment, allow multi-use (horseback, bicycles, ADA access) and meet conservation-easement limits that often prohibit asphalt. A short video shown at the meeting demonstrated a 200-foot prototype section used elsewhere; presenters said the surface costs much less than asphalt and requires less frequent maintenance.

Staff said the main policy barrier is state SunTrail eligibility and construction standards, which have historically emphasized pavement built to FDOT standards; staff said they are pursuing engagement with the Florida Greenways and Trails Council and state program staff and suggested that advisory letters or council-level advocacy could help secure a policy change.

Committee members raised concerns about long-term maintenance funding, the potential effect of a pending budget amendment that could reduce general-fund support for recreation, and safety and enforcement issues around high-speed e-bikes; staff said SunTrail does not fund maintenance and that local general-fund allocations currently pay routine trail upkeep (staff estimated about $4,500 per mile per year). Bailey noted he will retire in a few months and thanked committee members for the long-running effort to close trail gaps.

The county's interactive trails map and project GIS layers are available on the Volusia County Parks, Recreation and Culture trails landing page, staff said, and staff committed to supplying detailed construction sheets and maps for committee members interested in west-side alignments.