PATH December 2023 Newsletter

December 2023, Issue #111

Connecting Communities Across Georgia with 320 Miles of Trails

PATH400 Extends North PATH Foundation A Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to Planning and Building Greenway Trails

The Carrollton Greenbelt

The Carrollton Greenbelt is an eighteenmile loop trail around the city of Carrollton that runs through the West Georgia University campus.

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ast issue, we featured the Arabia Mountain Path (AMP), as an alternative to the Silver Comet Trail. In this issue we are spotlighting another PATH trail that has everything anybody could want in a trail.

The Carrollton Greenbelt is an eighteen-mile loop trail around the city of Carrollton that runs through the West Georgia University campus, travels across a 1700-foot-long boardwalk, visits several parks with ball fields, tennis courts and playscapes, and offers long stretches of level trail where a rider can speed along the river’s edge at 20 mph. There are permanent, well maintained restrooms, habitat viewing platforms, and bridges and tunnels galore; all of this encircles the city in an 18 mile loop. You can park your car in one of the many trailheads and arrive back at your car, without backtracking at all.

The Greenbelt was built between 2011 and 2016, long after the city was developed. It was built on city-owned land and largely donated property. No abandoned rail corridors were available when the Greenbelt was built.

The Greenbelt winds through serene pastures only a mile or two from the town square. The city has built a spoke trail from the Greenbelt to the restaurants and shops downtown.

There are several good restaurants to choose from on the square. Next time you are planning a trail day, consider the Carrollton Greenbelt for a change.

Carrollton is an easy, one hour drive out I-20 west from Atlanta. Visit the PATH website or the Carrollton Greenbelt at carrolltongreenbelt.com for more details. l

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Cover photo: PATH400 construction north of Wieuca Road.

PROJECT

UPDATES PLANNING + DESIGN HiLo Trail – Planning activity continues with the ambitious effort to connect Athens to Savannah.

MacArthur Trail – PATH is planning and designing an extension from the Whetstone Trail to Chattahoochee Avenue near the Scofflaw Brewery. This will allow PATH to extend the Silver Comet Trail into the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

Northwest BeltLine – PATH and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. have agreed to build the northwest BeltLine in five phases. The first phase to be constructed will connect Huff Road at Marietta Boulevard to Blandtown.

Proctor Creek Phase 2 – The PATH planning and design team have completed preliminary field work on phase 2 of the Proctor Creek Trail.

No date is set yet for construction to begin.

Woodall Trail – A new PATH BeltLine Connector Trail is being designed that will connect the “Works” along Chattahoochee Avenue with Top Golf and the Westside BeltLine Trail segment.

This trail will be one of the first projects for the Upper Westside CID and will be the first trail project that will connect into the Northwest BeltLine Corridor. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2024.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION Silver Comet Connector – Construction between Mavell Road and Plant Atkinson Road will begin in January! Thanks to a generous gift from the James M. Cox Foundation and an agreement between CSX and GDOT the long-awaited extension is finally happening!

Panola Mountain Greenway Phase 1B – Henry County and PATH are partnering to extend the Panola Mountain Greenway to Austin Elementary School, south of the entrance to Panola Mountain State Park.

Construction began in October and is expected to be completed by spring 2024.

PATH400 (pictured on cover) – The contractor is making great progress on the trail section between Wieuca Road and Loridans Drive.

The project is on time and on budget.

Sandy Springs Trail – Construction crews have encountered unforeseen large rock formations, which have delayed some of the unique features of the trail that will connect Morgan Falls to Roswell Road.

COMPLETED Eastside Trolley Trail – A Grand opening was hosted by the City of Atlanta on September 6th with Mayor Andre Dickens, along with Councilperson Bakhtiari, cutting the ribbon to the newest section of Eastside Trolley Trail.

This new trail will connect the neighborhood with Toomer School and local businesses.

Emory Trails – PATH crews completed the connection between Clifton Road and Means Street this summer - another trail project improving the Emory campus.

Greene County Firefly – A Grand Opening was held on November 3rd. This project extends the Firefly network by another six miles, which connects Union Point to Woodville, Georgia.

PATH Trail Hub – The contractor has installed new signal equipment and pedestrian striping for the Baker and Luckie Streets intersection to create a safer connection between these trails. l

December 2023 | 3

PATH Trail Connections to the BeltLine Silver Comet Connector

Silver Comet Connector will link the BeltLine to the cities of Smyrna, Powder Springs, Dallas, Rockmart, Cedartown and the Chief Ladiga.

Proctor Creek Connector will connect the existing Proctor Creek Trail, the West End MARTA station, Westside Park and eventually the Chattahoochee River to the BeltLine.

Proctor Creek Greenway

Westside BeltLine Connector

Westside BeltLine Connector links Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Tech and downtown Atlanta to the BeltLine.

Southwest BeltLine Connector

Atlanta BeltLine completed

Southwest BeltLine Connector links southwest Atlanta neighborhoods, including the Lionel Hampton Trail to the Westside BeltLine.

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Atlanta BeltLine planned PATH Connector trails completed PATH Connector trails planned

BeltLi

PATH400 will connect to the BeltLine just east of Piedmont Road south of the Lindbergh MARTA Station.

It will connect Buckhead and the Perimeter area with the BeltLine when completed.

PATH400

Peachtree Creek Greenway

Stone Mountain Trail

Eastside Trolley Trail

Peachtree Creek Greenway will intersect PATH400 just west of Piedmont Road, north of Peachtree Creek and will connect the Buford Highway corridor, Brookhaven and eventually the Mercer University campus to the BeltLine.

Stone Mountain Trail connects Druid Hills, Decatur, Clarkston and Stone Mountain to the BeltLine. The Stone Mountain Trail continues inside the BeltLine to Centennial Park and the Georgia Tech campus.

Eastside Trolley Trail will connect Kirkwood, Decatur, Pullman Yards and Agnes Scott College to the BeltLine.

ine South River Trail Southside Trail

South River Trail will link the BeltLine to East Atlanta, Constitution Lakes, south DeKalb County and the Arabia Mountain PATH system to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Rockdale County.

Southside Trail will connect the BeltLine to the Southtowne Trail and Lakeside Park and Amphitheatre.

December 2023 | 5

2023 Annual Report Highlights

320 5.24 TOTAL MILES OF TRAILS

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NEW MILES OF TRAILS

COMPLETED TRAIL SEGMENTS

Trails/Segments Completed: n Newnan LINC Phase C

n Peachtree Creek Greenway Phase 1B

n LaGrange The Thread - Coleman to Hunnicut

n Westside BeltLine

n Tucker PATH Phase 1A

Comet n Columbus Dragonfly - Silver Riverwalk to MLK Trail

93.3% of donations go to building trails Income

Silver Co Conne

Expenses

FYE MARCH 2023

FYE MARCH 2023

Proctor Creek Greenway

Southwest BeltLine Connector Public Grants Capital Campaign Contribution Revenue Private Funding

$6,409,038 $365,000 $1,059,444 $1,420,116

69.26% 3.94% 11.45% 15.35%

TOTAL INCOME

$9,253,598 100.00%

Construction of Trails $7,382,054 81.13% Project Management $1,069,166 11.75% Administrative $544,568 5.99% Fundraising/Special Events $65,194 0.72% Trail Maintenance $36,961 0.41% TOTAL EXPENSES $9,097,943 100.00%

F O R T H E F U L L 2 0 2 3 A N N U A L R E P O R T, V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E .

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East Point PATH

ED’S CORNER edwin@pathfoundation.org

Small Town

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was listening to the words of John Cougar Mellencamp’s song ‘Small Town’ and it got me thinking about my own journey through life. Like Mellencamp, I was born in a small town, but that’s where my journey and his song diverge. I was a big city boy most of my life, moving from one city to the next, working long hours, trying to earn the big bucks. Now that I’m retired from the rat race, I moved back to a small town and I like it!

A small town takes some getting used to. There’s no Fox Theatre, no Nuevo Laredo, no Target, no old friends, though most of my old friends love to visit me in my small town. They say they can feel the stress dissipating each time they leave the city headed to my house. That’s the feeling I got that helped me decide to spend my golden years in a small town, away from the bustle of the city.

It’s rather easy to make new friends in a small town. People aren’t too busy to foster friendships in small towns. For one thing, they don’t spend two hours commuting back and forth to work, which frees up time for family and friends.

In my years at PATH, we built trails in many small towns, so I had experienced the smalltown vibe before I retired.

People were friendlier, traffic was lighter and the pace was less frantic. You could eat lunch for half what it cost in the ATL and pump cheap gas without worrying about somebody hijacking your car (I don’t feel the need to ever lock my car now).

When I made the decision to retire to a small town, I visualized frequent trips back to the city to get my big city fix. After all, I had been a city boy for decades. I couldn’t just leave, or could I? After moving,

I started looking at condos back in the ATL to use as a crash pad when I really missed the city vibe. I never bought a condo.

As time passed, I made fewer and fewer trips to the city and invested more of my time in my small town. Like Mellencamp, I’m officially a small-town guy now.

Like John’s song suggests, I’m not sure I wanna die in a small town. Somehow, a big celebration in the city with all my old friends gathered around sounds like a better ending. I feel certain some of the friends I’ve made since retirement can make the trek to the city. Until then, a small town is ‘good enough for me.’ Who knows… by the time I kick the bucket, I may have enough old, smalltown friends to have a pretty good party here.

December 2023 | 7

Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid Atlanta, GA Permit No. 8163

PATH Foundation 1601 West Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309

PATH Foundation Board of Directors Charlie Shufeldt, Chairman Alexander C. Taylor, Vice Chairman Jennifer Dorian, Secretary Harry L. Anderson, Treasurer B. Harvey Hill, Jr. Jaime Hockin Ciannat Howett James C. Kennedy Sarah K. Kennedy Scott Kitchens E. Cody Laird, Jr. Stephen Lanier Tree McGlown Lyle Ross John W. Somerhalder II

C. Austin Stephens Stephanie Stephens Richard Tyler Lauren Wilson Sam Friedman, Emeritus Chairman W. Douglas Ellis, Jr., Emeritus William C. Fowler, Emeritus Carol Muldawer, Emeritus Greta deMayo, Executive Director Ed McBrayer, Executive Advisor

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