Possible Bus Service Just 1 Topic Of Meeting

SEBRING - Could bus service be launched in Highlands County, with connections to surrounding counties?

What about a dial-a-ride program? Or organzed car- and van-pooling?

Those and other transportation issues will be discussed at Monday's monthly meeting of the Highlands County Homeowners Assocation.
Guest speakers will be Lynn Topel, executive director, and Mary Freeman, public transportation coordinator, of the Florida's Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative (FHREDI).

Topel and Freeman will speak about and field questions on the Heartland Mobility Plan, a transportation initiative being developed for the Florida Department of Transportation.

The public is welcome at the homeowners meeting, set for 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at Sebring Country Estates Clubhouse, 3240 Grand Prix Drive, Sebring.

The state DOT is partnering with FHREDI to develop transportation improvements in the six counties and four communities in FHREDI's territory: DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee counties, plus Belle Glade, Immokalee, Pahokee and South Bay.

The Heartlands Mobility Plan is due by October 2008, Freeman said.

"At that time," Freeman said, "we hope funding will be available to put in transportation for inter-county and intra-county to connect all the counties." She said the goal is to create services :that will "better mobilize people, whether they're going to work or school or shopping, and be able to connect them to wherever they are going."

In addition to the guest speakers, the homeowners association meeting also will feature reports from the group's committees on veterans services, the school board, sheriff's office, county planning and zoning, recreation and parks, transportation, county comission meetings, Sebring Airport, Highlands County lakes and code enforcement.