Hopes for buying Lakewood Ranch visitor center may be dimming

The odds seem to be growing against Lakewood Ranch community development districts acquiring a former visitor information center at 6310 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

At least that is the reading of June Stroup, chairwoman of CDD 1, which represents residents of Summerfield and Riverwalk.

“It doesn’t look good,” Stroup said of word coming out of an ad hoc group studying purchase of the building, the meeting place for Lakewood Ranch districts before the construction of Town Hall.

A few months ago, a Schroeder-Manatee Ranch information center moved out of the building and relocated at 11506 Rangeland Parkway, leaving only the Community Activities Office still in the building.

District officials asked SMR to donate the building, but the request was declined, said Anne Ross, executive director of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. SMR has not listed the building, which is next to Summerfield Park, as being for sale.

The ad hoc committee continues to study the feasibility of acquiring the green-roof building, Ross said.

In other business, District 1 Supervisor Gary Berns, noting supervisors representing the Greenbrook community had approved the addition of Wifi to Adventure Park, asked for Wifi to also be added to Summerfield Park.

“I really think that in this day and age, that it is a feature we should be offering,” Berns said.

The addition of Wifi to Summerfield Park will be discussed at the district’s June meeting.

In other business this week, the districts settled on their 2017 budget approval meetings:

• CDD 1 (Summerfield-Riverwalk) to meet at 9 a.m. June 9 to approve a $1.954 million budget, which would include an average $38 a year increase per household.
• CDD 2 (Country Club and Edgewater) to meet at 9 a.m. June 9 to approve a $3.6 million budget, which would include an average $43 a year increase per household.
• CDD 4 (Greenbrook) to meet at 10 a.m. June 8 to approve a $2 million budget, which would include an average $40 a year increase per household.
• CDD 5 (Country Club) to meet at 9 a.m. June 9 to approve a $2.8 million budget, which would include an average $14 a year increase per household.
• CDD 6 (Country Cub West) to meet at 9 a.m. June 9 to approve a $943,000 budget, which would include an average $81 a year increase per household.
• Inter-District Authority (managing affairs of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall) to meet at 9 a.m. June 9 to approve a $3.7 million budget, an increase of .9 percent. The Inter-District Authority is funded by the community development districts.

The districts also reported the number of registered voters per district:

• District 1 - 3,257
• District 2 - 2,248
• District 4 - 2,047
• District 5 - 1,547
• District 6 - 590.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Hopes for buying Lakewood Ranch visitor center may be dimming."