Love for the LINC

Two centuries ago, the English poet William Wordsworth “wandered lonely as a cloud” among the daffodils as he stored away “the bliss of solitude.” In 1914, the young Joyce Kilmer lamented, “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.”

“Everybody,” observed John Muir in his 1912 collection The Yosemite, “needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to the body and soul.”

A century later in Newnan and Coweta County, community leaders support the critical need for places of respite and green spaces that restore the human spirit and ease the anxiety of contemporary living. The most recent evidence of that commitment is the LINC, a multi-use, paved trail and greenspace that residents and business leaders alike appreciate.

With the addition of the LINC system, citizens of Newnan and Coweta County have a new alternative to enjoy as they exercise their bodies and absorb the solace of the outdoors, an idea that has been catching on in big cities and smaller communities across the nation. In New York, citizens and tourists enjoy the Highline, an elevated linear park along a former spur of the New York Central Railroad. In Atlanta, the Beltline draws local and regional enthusiasts. Carrollton’s Greenbelt circumnavigates the city providing a safe space for pedestrians and bicyclists. LaGrange’s Thread commemorates the area’s textile heritage and allows residents to trek in peace and security. All of these linear parks are part of a regional vision fostered by The Path Foundation, a privately funded nonprofit organization that aims to “transform Metro Atlanta into the most trail-connected city in the US” while sharing the “knowledge and experience in other communities to promote trail development.”

While the LINC system is new to Newnan and Coweta citizens, Ed McBrayer at PATH has been promoting a similar trail systems across Georgia and the United States for nearly thirty years. McBrayer claims that it’s “getting a little easier” to promote trail systems as users and communities “can now see the benefits.”

In particular, he cites the proposed pedestrian bridge connecting the community across I-85 and the many “Greenway” paths that allow users to avoid dangerous traffic conge stion. At 26 miles, Newnan’s proposed project will represent a significant percentage of the Georgia Path system which to date includes 285 miles of multi-use, paved trails.

“Newnan’s ahead of the game. LINC is going to be as nice as any system in the state of Georgia.”

Though city and county authorities are enthusiastic about trail systems, the idea of a greenspace trail has lingered on community master plans without much attention for over a decade. As an active community member and Chairman of the Newnan Convention Center Authority, Parks Avery explains his involvement with Greenway and Pedestrian planning with both the Coweta County and City of Newnan governments “over the last fifteen years or so.” Avery takes delight in the recent progress of LINC: “to see some results from that work is mighty gratifying. These planning documents have tended to gather dust so when I got a call from Jim Thomasson about putting a group together to help push things along, I was all for it!”

In mid-2017, both the Newnan City Council and the Coweta County Board Of Commissioners accepted a master plan proposed for creating the LINC – a 25-mile, multi-use trail system that aims to connect the east and west sides of Newnan, with all trails leading to the downtown business district. While the map details the proposed path, LINC planning, engineering, surveys, and site work are now underway. Actual future site locations are subject to change.

Pictured Left to Right: Kim Learnard, Director, Friends of LINC, Board members Sandra Wisenbaker, and Parks Avery, along with pup, Roscoe. The Board also includes Jim Thomasson, Deb Kalish, Gina Lee, Vern Wilburn, Clay Neely, Brent Snodgrass, Chris Doane, and Isabel Hair.

Keith Brazie | Pork Pie Pictures

That call came after Newnan resident Jim Thomasson heard about Carrollton’s developing Greenbelt, a multi-use trail that surrounds the city. He recognized the possible impact of that community asset, and after attending a couple of Greenbelt meetings to learn more, he brought the idea to the Newnan- Coweta Chamber for discussion and development. The enthusiastic response helped Thomasson propel the stalled plans forward with total support from Newnan Mayor Keith Brady, the city council, and, in time, the county council. “The time was right,” says Thomasson. “Mayor Brady said, ‘I’m 100% behind anything that makes sense for this community.’” Community leaders were ready to make a project like this a priority. The city council also helped fund the initial plan and continues to discuss potential path extensions through county property, although the opportunity of using existing easements makes city development of LINC routes somewhat easier to manage.

Once Thomasson realized that the idea had Chamber and community support, he enlisted a group of professionals to help make the vision a reality. That group, called Friends of LINC, manages the administrative details and serves as a liaison between the non-profit PATH Foundation and the City of Newnan. Together with the Friends of LINC board, Thomasson hired Kim Learnard as executive director to help manage and promote LINC development.

A former executive at West Georgia Technical College and a graduate of the University of Georgia, Learnard sees her mission at LINC as a sacred commitment to the community it serves. She talks with enthusiasm and professional confidence about the LINC mission and the plans currently in progress. Like other LINC fans, Learnard beams about the bridge that Newnan residents will soon see going up across I-85. She reflects passionately on the words of assistant city manager Hasco Craver: “This linear park will connect the community across divisions.” In that sense, the LINC fulfills the promise of its name by linking a broad spectrum of community members and providing access to health, wellness, and stress relief for all members of the community.

As business leaders, Thomasson and Learnard know that the LINC system serves as an essential appeal to corporations that wish to locate in areas that provide amenities their employees want. It’s also true that according to the National Association of Home Builders, desired amenities for every age group include a “community that’s typically suburban, with proximity to a park area, and that has access to walking and jogging trails.” Linear parks like LINC provide that amenity and interconnectivity cost-effectively and sustainably. Existing Coweta residents share the LINC board’s enthusiasm. In a recent survey conducted to help direct the Coweta County long-range community plan, responders indicated that their number one desired amenity was “more parks and bike, pedestrian, and equestrian paths.”

Existing trails in other communities show the economic benefits of linear trail systems. Brookings Institute research reported in a 2012 CityLab article indicates that “Truly walkable urban communities are much more economically vibrant than their drivable suburban neighbors.” With the addition of systems like LINC, other communities have experienced as much as a seven-to-one return on investment as a result of increased property values, new business development, and expanded tourism.

The positive economic impact may have been an early appeal to business leaders, but Thomasson observes that it’s not really about business development: “It’s about taking care of our own.” For Thomasson, developing LINC is a personal mission that looks forward to future generations while protecting and preserving the safety and wellness of old and young members of the community.

Thomasson recalls his father’s tale of walking down Newnan’s busy Jackson Street while having to contend with drivers that often fail to observe crosswalks and traffic guidelines: “You know when you reach a certain age, you have to stop, plant, and pivot. You can’t just twist around while walking.” Because of that lack of mobility, a less-than-conscientious driver came dangerously close to hitting Thomasson’s father. Like many Newnan walkers, the Thomasson family realized that pedestrian-safe trails should be part of the critical infrastructure of a community that wants to grow and prosper.

As a grandfather, Thomasson also worries about the safety and well-being of children who have few places to ride bicycles and run free of a parent’s worried tether. “This is about the 60%,” Thomasson says, “that want to get out and exercise but don’t because they don’t feel safe and comfortable.” It’s about the 60% that buy their children bicycles, but then realize there is no safe place to practice riding them, “so they keep the bikes in the garage.” If Thomasson’s vision comes to fruition, families will be able to rent bikes and ride the LINC to destinations around the city where they can return them.

Avery shares Thomasson’s enthusiasm and hopes that the community does too: “I hope that we will be able to integrate other recreational assets over time. There may be a mountain bike track close to the Newnan Centre; we are working on a possible outdoor classroom for the Newnan Crossing Elementary School. I hope to have a bike rental program available at the train depot in the future. The possibilities are limited only by our imagination.”

“Imagine,” Thomasson adds, “You could ride a rented bike to Ashley Park, have lunch and do some shopping, and take the trolley back into town.” That level of transportation choice could genuinely be transformative for residents of Newnan and people looking for alternatives to Atlanta living. These are the kind of planning initiatives that can help preserve Newnan and Coweta as a destination community for corporations and new businesses.

LINC user Rhonda Maloy, a resident of White Oak subdivision, and her Boston Terrier, Peaches, are part of the 60% Thomasson describes. Maloy wanted to walk her dog and enjoy the outdoors but didn’t feel she could do it conveniently and responsibly. “I wouldn’t walk Peaches because of the cars in my neighborhood. It wasn’t safe,” says Maloy. “Now I come here and walk her two or three times a week. She loves it. I’m so excited.” Maloy talks enthusiastically about the LINC plans she’s heard about through neighbors, friends, and other LINC users, but she is especially excited about the possible expansion of a trail into White Oak where she and Peaches live. The development of that trail will depend upon county support.

Other LINC users share Maloy’s gratitude and excitement. Senior citizen Sandra Chaves uses LINC for exercise. She tries to use it daily in her commitment to personal fitness and weight loss. Chaves apologizes to other LINC users for her slower pace, but it doesn’t dampen her enthusiasm. “I just love it!” she exclaims. “When you walk around your neighborhood, the roads are so uneven. I’m afraid I might fall. Here I don’t have to worry about it.” Chaves confesses that she didn’t understand the LINC system when she first heard of it. “I told my son it was a waste of taxpayer money,” she confesses. “Look at me now. I don’t think it’s a waste anymore!” Chaves reflected fondly on the camaraderie of other LINC users, “everybody is so nice, just so pleasant.”

LINC users like Chaves personify Dr. Lisa Gezon’s research into the impact of linear parks on health and wellness. Chaves reflects the reality that trail users benefit from social support as much as the physical experience. Traditionally, health experts have assumed that the exercise that trails provide functioned to create wellness. Gerzon’s research for the University of West Georgia shows a slightly more complicated equation. It isn’t merely the physical exercise that promotes wellness; it’s also the sense of community and connection that trail users develop. These combined benefits create health and a sense of well-being and result in an unexpected return on investment. According to a study published by the National Centers for Biotechnology Information, every dollar spent building trails saves as much as three dollars on citizen health costs.

Jim Thomasson calls these beneficial trail relationships “LINC friends.” Perhaps in an age of increasing digital disconnection and anonymity, the predictable social engagement of a walk on community-supported linear trails has proven to be essential beyond what city and county planners initially anticipated.

On a cool but sunny March afternoon, friends Marie Noles and Julia Hale walked the LINC. Noles for the first time at Hale’s invitation. It seems LINC use is destined to expand exponentially as friends invite friends, and neighbors share the news. “I told her,” says Noles, “I found a place we need to go walk. It’s really pretty -- out in the woods.” Noles added that she loves the safe parking at The Newnan Centre and the short walk onto the wooded trail. The friends beamed as they strode the path, and Hale gasped, “Look at that!” when she saw a pedestrian tunnel and custom mural. While the mural awaits completion, it still extends a friendly and warm invitation to those who pass through the tunnel that protects users from the busy Lower Fayetteville traffic passing safely overhead.

LINC Mural elicits community pride

Friends of the LINC board member Parks Avery reached out to Georgia muralist John Christian of Go Georgia Arts to commission the mural and to local high schools to provide inspiration. Students from Jodie Hobbs’ art classes at Newnan High School stepped forward with drawings that Christian used to develop the mural. Christian says one side will feature native flowers that LINC users might find along the path.

“Newnan,” he continues, “really does have something unique with the new trail. Most of these trails are very urban, but LINC combines urban and rural settings and provides both walkers and cyclists with a safe and beautiful space.” As a lifelong artist with professional experience in public art, Christian is especially excited about the opportunities that LINC offers to the communities through which it passes.

The other side will feature the columns of an antebellum home like those found in Newnan’s historic district. “Every city wants the same thing,” says Christian. “They want their city to be showcased, to show how it’s different or better than other cities.”

“Each community along the trail can have their personality inserted in the trail surroundings,” he suggests. This is accomplished through landscaping choices, special features, or commissioned public art hand-picked by each neighborhood. As a result, The LINC itself may soon become as unique a feature in Newnan and Coweta County as the historic homes that have so long been a hallmark of the community.

Most of these trails are very urban, but LINC combines urban and rural settings and provides both walkers and cyclists with a safe and beautiful space.

By 2020, residents should see LINC trails under construction from the connecting bridge over I-85 to downtown Newnan and, no doubt, ample art and visual appeal to go along with it.