Ambitious as his construction program appears, city manager Ron Stock has told aides he will be pleased if the city can complete 50 of the planned projects.

Among the top priorities is the Venetian Gardens canal dredging which must be completed before the annual regional fishing tournament begins later this month and has drawn national media attention in the past.

Other projects at the top of Stock's Wish List are the $2.4 million, 60-acre Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex; the U.S. 441 streetscape at $1.5 million; and the 41,000-sf, $4.9 million new police headquarters building.

Construction of new affordable housing is also high on the city manager's to-do clipboard. About 40% of the city's residences are rentals versus 20% in the rest of the county and 30% in the entire state, according to the city manager's office. Leesburg has budgeted $240,000 to educate and train first-time homebuyers on how to purchase their first home.

Wastewater plan improvements over the next five years at the Canal Street plan will cost about $18 million. A recreational rails-to-trails venture is expected to break ground later this month at the trailhead at the historic-designated Mote-Morris House.

The city is trying to buy 6.7 miles of railroad property from Jacksonville, FL-based CSX Railroad Co. but negotiations are stalled on price. CSX is asking $3 million or about $447,761 per mile. Leesburg has offered $1 million or about $149,253 per mile.