Media Release

5:00 p.m.

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL. - An important Public Workshop will occur at the Paynes Prairie Visitors Center on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 beginning at 6:30pm.  All persons are welcome to share ideas for the "Old Florida Heritage Highway" - a nearly 50-mile roadway corridor in southeast Alachua County designated a FDOT state scenic highway in 2001.  The corridor includes the historic communities of Micanopy, Evinston, Cross Creek, Rochelle and Island Grove, and traverses Paynes Prairie.

Funded by a federal grant, Alachua County is working with EDAW, Inc., landscape architects and environmental planners, to prepare a Master Plan that will provide a guide for future development, such as open space and recreational opportunities and preservation of the Corridor. The subcontractor consultant team also includes Conway Conservation, Inc.; Lewis Environmental Services, Inc.; Causseaux & Ellington, Inc.; Armstrong + Cohen Architecture, and NorthSouth Studios, LLC. 

The Master Plan process will include design themes, sketches for parks and access locations, interpretive plans and traffic calming scheme.  According to County Senior Planner Kathleen Pagan, "We know many local organizations promote and support our scenic highway and our state parks, agriculture, history and culture, and we hope for participation by all these groups and any interested persons." 

Paynes Prairie Preserve Visitors Center is east of US 441, located 10 miles south of Gainesville and about 1 mile north of Micanopy.  The Main Entrance (100 Savannah Blvd. Micanopy) of the park is posted with a brown sign.

For additional information, please contact Kathleen Pagan, Alachua County Growth Management, at 352-374-5249 or kpagan@alachuacounty.us .

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