DragonfyTake s Flight

PATH’s partnership to develop trails in Columbus, Georgia can be traced back to a January 2015 visit to the PATH office by Ken Henson and Betsy Covington, both with the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley. Ken, Board Chairman, and Betsy, President and CEO, were familiar with our successful partnerships with Community Foundations in Carrollton and Atlanta. In the meeting, we suggested Ken, Betsy and Columbus officials take a trip to Carrollton to see one of our partnerships in action. A couple of weeks later, Ken and Betsy took Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley and Councilman Glenn Davis to Carrollton for a tour.

In April 2015, PATH team members spent several days scouring Columbus for potential trail corridors. PATH recognized the importance of connecting all Columbus neighborhoods to the existing 14 mile-long RiverWalk. Columbus also had the Fall Line Trace, an 11 mile-long rail trail, which came within 1.5 miles of the RiverWalk. They needed a plan for retrofitting trails through the mostly urban environment that would connect the city in a whole new way. “The PATH master plan was what got us started,” said Betsy. “It is serving as our guide on what to build next.”

Ken and Betsy formed a Friends group to guide development of the master plan and advocate for the trail system after the plan was completed. The Friends group named the trail system the Dragonfly and it became Dragonfly Trails, Inc. The PATH team worked with Dragonfly Trails, Inc. and city staff to complete the Dragonfly master plan and a design of the initial project, connecting the Fall Line Trace to the RiverWalk.

In 2017 and 2018, PATH helped Columbus build the trail between the Fall Line Trace and the RiverWalk, and a trail along MLK Boulevard, as phase I of the connection between the RiverWalk and scores of east and south Columbus neighborhoods. The city, aided by Dragonfly Trails, Inc., recently completed the connection from MLK Boulevard to the RiverWalk that includes the spectacular LED lighted tunnel on the cover of this newsletter. This tunnel is now one of the longest LED lighted tunnels in the U.S. The entrance on the west end has a mural that was designed and installed by current and former art students at Columbus State University.

The popularity of the Dragonfly has encouraged the city to allocate additional T-SPLOST funding for trails suggested in the Dragonfly plan. There is now over $20 million in funding allocated to connect Dinglewood Park and Lake Bottom Park to the trail system, add an extension of the RiverWalk north of Lake Oliver Marina, and build a trail from Midtown through Woodruff Farm Soccer Complex to the Industrial Park.

With the trail segments recently completed, Columbus now has more than 33 miles of interconnected trails with an additional 30 miles planned and funded.

Becca Zajac was hired in 2019 as the Executive Director of the Friends of the Dragonfly. “Popularity of the Dragonfly makes it easier to raise private dollars to leverage the city’s allocations. People understand that the Dragonfly improves the quality of life for all Columbus citizens and enhances Columbus as a tourist destination,” Becca said.

With the trail segments recently completed, Columbus now has more than 33 miles of interconnected trails with an additional 30 miles planned and funded. The Dragonfly has indeed taken flight! If you ride beyond the RiverWalk into Fort Benning there are 20, 40, and 100 mile loops to enjoy. l