Have you ever seen this house and wondered about it?   It sits just off The Legacy Trail at Bay Street (map).  Wouldn’t it be a great place for a rest area for everyone using The Legacy Trail?   The house is located on the SW corner of the 10 acre property that was purchased by the County in 2008 and officially opened as Osprey Junction Trailhead (OJT) in 2013.  It has been used by the county as a storage site for the parks department.

Recently, Chuck Butterfield the FLT President approached the County Parks Department and was given a green light to work on a proposed plan to remodel that house into a Visitor Center.  A brain storming session yielded ideas for the Visitor Center which included a snack bar, gift shop, volunteer staffing for information and handouts, screened porch rest area, public meeting/party rooms, bike rental/repair shop, bike safety education classes/bike rodeos, Ambassador Patrol and Surrey Bike Ride Headquarters and Park Staff office.

Jerry Droll, David Zimmerman and Mark Malkasian have volunteered to work on the Project Team. The first phase is developing a proposed plan to remodel the house at Osprey Junction Trailhead into a Visitor Center. The plan will then be presented to Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources for review and approval. Architects are being solicited and preliminary design plans are being discussed. If you have an interest in working on this project please contact Chuck Butterfield:  gulfman8@comcast.net