Winter 2020

PATH December 2020, Issue #102

NEWS

PATH Foundation A Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to Planning and Building Greenway Trails WINTER NEWS | DECEMBER 2020

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Silver Comet to Atlanta CSX Transportation demolition crews recently completed the removal of tracks and ties on the rail corridor between the existing Silver Comet Trail and Plant Atkinson Road. Cobb DOT completed the survey of this 2.4 mile corridor in early October.

PATH design crews will complete the design and engineering around December 1st. The State of Georgia negotiated the right for PATH to extend the Silver Comet south and eastward in 2018.

PATH included the design and construction of this extension in the PATH 2019 Capital fundraising Campaign.

PATH and Cobb County are in the process of meeting 2

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with adjacent neighborhoods to review the proposed design. This trail segment is part of PATHs’ effort to extend the Silver Comet Trail to the Atlanta Beltline and Centennial Park.

This project will extend the existing Silver Comet Trail under the East-West Connector, under South Cobb Drive, under Interstate 285 to Plant Atkinson Road in the Log Cabin community.

If all goes as planned, this trail will be built and open to the public in 2021. Funding for this project is being provided by donors to PATH. Cobb County TSPLOST funding will be pursued to extend the Comet to the Chattahoochee River. l

LINC over I-85

W

hen the PATH planning team developed the trail master plan for Newnan in 2018, one thing was immediately evident: I-85 was a barrier between the growing, residential community east of the interstate and the historic downtown commercial area to the west,unless you were in a car. The Newnan LINC master plan adopted by the city in xxx,xxx, envisioned a pedestrian bridge over the interstate to better connect the city on a human scale. Last month, PATH crews installed a xxx foot-long, clear span bridge over I-85 for the Newnan LINC. The LINC bridge was lifted into place around sunrise on October 18th. Georgia State Troopers provided a rolling roadblock to give the crew time to swing the bridge

over the travel lanes and bolt it into place.

Jonathan McCaig, who has overseen previous LINC projects, supervised placement of the bridge for PATH. Personnel from Lewallen Construction, the City of Newnan, and the Georgia Department of Transportation were on site to ensure a flawless installation..

Hats off to city officials and the citizens of Newnan for approving over $x in TSPLOST funding for this segment of the LINC. Coupled with the first phase of the LINC, built in 2019, Newnan residents east of I-85 can now walk or bike through the woods between their homes and continue over the interstate on the LINC. Segments scheduled to be built in 2021 will connect the bridge to historic downtown Newnan. l

Westside Beltline Connector- Phase 3 Marietta Bridge

Westside Beltline Connector Nears Completion PATH crews will complete the Westside Beltline Connector (WBC) by the end of the year. The project was made possible when Atlanta Beltline, Inc.(ABI) acquired the abandoned rail corridor between Boone Boulevard and Marietta Boulevard in 2019. The corridor will soon connect the PATH trail system downtown and at Georgia Tech to Westside Park and the Westside Beltline.

This project fulfills a goal of the PATH board and staff: Connect the westside of Atlanta to the balance of the PATH trail system. We achieved part of our goal in the last

2018

Newnan master plan created

275 ft Span of bridge over I-85

$3M

TSPLOST funding provided

1.02

Newnan LINC miles completed

Westside Park and the fast-growing Upper Westside neighborhood.

The WBC is being constructed 14 feet wide with lighting and security cameras for safety. The rail property acquired is very wide in many areas, giving the PATH design team the flexibility to include rest stops and parking areas.

Some adjacent property owners have already announced plans for trail-centric development along the corridor. capital campaign by completing the redo of the Ivan Allen Bridge project and the trail spur to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This campaign, we will fully connect the underserved neighborhoods of the west side to the rest of the trail network. Future campaigns will connect the Wetside Beltline to

Many thanks to our partners ABI, Westside Future Fund, the City of Atlanta, Grace Midtown Church, Georgia World Congress Center, and Georgia Power for joining us in the effort to bring trails through west Atlanta. This project benefited greatly from the collaborative effort from those involved. l WINTER NEWS | DECEMBER 2020 3

TRAIL MAINTENANCE The first 25 years of PATH developing trails in Atlanta and DeKalb County, we funded and oversaw maintenance of the trails we built. Each capital campaign included funding to pay for maintenance.

Dekalb County have had to distribute the workload among their departments and identify funding to cover the additional work. The City County are working with us to resolve the outstanding issues.

In XXXX, everything changed. A woman fell and injured herself on the Chastain Park Trail and sued PATH. Our insurance provider, after paying her a substantial sum, reevaluated their risk and canceled our policy. We did not have soverign immunity like cities and counties do, so over the next year, we turned maintenance over to the City of Atlanta and Dekalb County.

If you see maintenance needs while on a PATH trail, try to identify the jurisdiction and location of the issue and use the new maintenance contact matrix on the PATH Foundation website to report the problem. If the issue is not addressed in a timely fashion, call us at 404-875-7284 ext X so we can assist.

We want PATH trails to be maintained in peak condition.

Your patience and assistance is greatly appreciated. l

The transition has been challenging. We are still working with the city and county maintenance crew to identify all the trail segments we have built and the respective maintenance needs of each trail. Atlanta and

IF YOU SEE MAINTENANCE NEEDS ON A PATH TRAIL:

1 Note the location of the issue so you can accurately report it

2 Visit pathfoundation.org and click the Trail Maintenance button on the homepage

3 Call or email the office for the PATH trail affected If the issue is not addressed in a timely fashion, call us directly at 404-875-7284, ext X

PATH to Henry County The long-awaited PATH connection from Panola Mountain State Park to destinations in Henry County is almost complete. Soon, trail users on the South River Trail and Arabia Mountain Trail will be able to walk and ride over State Route 155 near the entrance to Panola Mountain State Park, and continue their journey for another 1.3 miles on the Panola Mountain Greenway to near Austin School.

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Atlanta Memorial Park Connection The underpass trail will reduce pedestrian and bike traffic crossing at the signal north of the creek.

A partnership between the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia DOT, and PATH are planning to connect the west side of Northside Drive to the PATH trail around Bobby Jones Golf Course with an underpass. GDOT crews are replacing the highway bridge over Peachtree Creek and installing a new ped bridge for for circumferential PATH east of the highway bridge. GDOT graciously agreed to allow a PATH connection in front of the south abutment wall to facilitate pedestrian movement from Atlanta Memorial Park to the existing PATH around the golf course. (See illustration) The partnership is reviewing options for funding the underpass trail which will reduce pedestrian and bike traffic crossing at the signal north of the creek. Councilman J.P. Matzigkeit, Atlanta Memorial Park rep Catherine Spillman, GDOT rep Brian McHugh, and PATH project manager Pete Pellegrini are working together to advance the project. l

This trail segment has been in the making for almost nine years, and would have failed if not for the persistence of a small group of avid supporters that wouldn’t let it die. Many thanks to Commissioner Bruce Holmes, Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliances Kelly Jordan, Elton Alexander, GDOT board members Dana Lemon and Robert Brown, then Georgia State Parks Director, Becky Kelley, Henry County Engineer David Simmons, and our own Jonathan McCaig for keeping the project alive and moving.

Future extensions of this trail will connect Austin School, the Henry County Recreation facility, and the city of Stockbridge to Panola Mountain State Park and

the 34 miles of PATH trails in Rockdale and DeKalb County. Trail users in Henry County will be able to walk and bike to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Stonecrest Mall, Arabia Mountain Nature Center, and downtown Lithonia on the PATH trail system.

This project benefited from one of the last Transportation Enhancement (TEA) allocations granted by the federal government. Henry County provided the local match, and all preconstruction costs were funded with your donations to PATH. PATH also funded project management though design and construction. If all goes as planned, this extension will be available for Spring walks and rides. l WINTER NEWS | DECEMBER 2020

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Atlanta BeltLine

Clifton Church Elem. School

Lithonia

Intrenchment Cedar Grove Creek Sugar Creek School Golf Course

Constitution Lakes Park

Intrenchment Creek Trailhead

Georgia Perimeter College MLK High School

South River Trail News The PATH master plan for the City of Atlanta and for Dekalb County both envision a trail in the greenspace along the South River.

Our partnership with DeKalb County has produced over five miles of the trail over the past twenty years. With the prospect of the Southside Beltline Trail being developed, there is renewed interest in connecting the South River Trail to the Beltline in the vicinity of Boulevard Crossing.

Starting from the east, PATH crews are well on their way to connecting Waldrop Road to the existing South River Trail at Georgia State University, Decatur campus. This segment of the trail ducks under Panthersville Road with the river and continues eastbound as a boardwalk trail for almost a half mile. If weather cooperates, this segment will open in time for Spring rides.

At the other end of the existing trail, DeKalb County Commissioners recently approved a request by Blackhall 6

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Arabia Mountain Trail

Mall at Stonecrest

Stonecrest Library

Arabia Nature Center

Alexander Lakes Trailhead

Panola Mountain State‘ Park

South Rockdale Community Park

Lorraine School

Monastery Studios to demolish a 1.2 mile section of the South River Trail near Constitution Avenue and Bouldercrest Road to make way for a new production facility. Part of the approval requires Blackhall to build a comparable section of trail north of the new facility which could align the trail toward Atlanta and segments of the trail being developed to the west.

(See enclosed map). PATH has offered to work with the county and Blackhall to ensure the replacement trail is consistent with creating the desired connection.

Further west, the partnership between PATH, DeKalb County, and xxxxx plans to begin construction this winter on the trail segment between Custer Avenue and xxxx, only a mile

LEGEND COMPLETED TRAILS FUNDED TRAILS PROPOSED TRAILS

or so away from the area Blackhall will be developing and about a mile from the Atlanta Beltline Trail.

All of these segments being developed will advance the dream of being able to ride and walk from Henry County and the Monastery of the Holy Spirit to the Beltline and beyond. Another step to make metro Atlanta the most trail connected city in the USA. l

ED’S CORNER Yesterday, someone made my day, week, and month by saying, “you’re a rock star” after reading a rather flattering editorial about my adventures in early trail blazing.

Believe me, I am no rock star but the comment got me thinking.

I do have a knack for choosing the right people to hang out with. I also have a pretty good track record identifying a good project when I see one. These collaborators and their good ideas are the true rock stars.

The rock stars of the Silver Comet Trail were Brenda Burnette, then with the Trust for Public Land and Joe Anderson, the Polk County attorney in Cedartown. They independently advanced the vision for the Georgia to Alabama Trail before coming to me for help. I recognized their respective passion and the fact that they had a good idea, but they are the individuals that kept the project alive and knew where to come to get it built.

The rock stars of the Arabia Mountain Trail were Kelly Jordan, Vernon Jones, and Richard Stogner. The idea of weaving a PATH through the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area was promoted by Kelly and enthusiastically supported by then DeKalb County CEO, Vernon Jones and his Executive Assistant, Richard Stogner. PATH made it happen, but the real rock stars are Kelly, Vernon, and Richard.

The PATH400 rock stars were Denise Starling and Carlos Perez. PATH floated the notion of a trail within the Georgia 400 corridor when it was built, but GDOT said no way. To their credit, they had completed acquisition for the project before we arrived

at their doorstep. Intermodal, at that time, was not inclusive of bike/ped.

Twenty-five years later, Denise and Carlos decided to give it another try. Buckhead needed greenspace and a trail. Denise and Carlos convinced GDOT to allow a trail to be retrofitted between the sound wall and residences adjacent to the highway. They will always be the duo that resurrected the Georgia 400 idea and made it happen. They both are rock stars in my book.

These collaborators and their good ideas are the true rock stars.

The connection we are building right now between the Silver Comet and downtown was always a dream of ours, but not until Stacy Patton came to us in 2018 with a plan, did we pursue it in earnest. Stacy assembled the corridor while employed at Atlanta Beltline, Inc and fostered the relationships that will allow us to extend the trail toward Cobb County.

Stacy is a rock star any way you look at it.

There are common threads that run through all the projects mentioned above.

They all benefited from James M. Cox Foundation funding and they were all managed to a successful completion by our own Pete Pellegrini, the ultimate rock stars, in my opinion.

So I am not a rock star, but because I hang with a rock stars I often get mistaken for one. I’m fully aware that the high I experienced yesterday was a contact high.

edwin@pathfoundation.org

WINTER NEWS | DECEMBER 2020 7

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

PATH Foundation P.O. Box 14327 Atlanta, GA 30324

Charlie Shufeldt, Chairman Alex Taylor, Vice Chairman Jennifer Dorian, Secretary Harry L. Anderson, Treasurer Samuel Bacote Brian Cosgray W. Douglas Ellis, Jr. William C. Fowler Sam Friedman B. Harvey Hill, Jr. Greta deMayo, Executive Director Ed McBrayer, Executive Advisor 8

PathFoundation.org

Ciannat Howett James C. Kennedy Sarah K. Kennedy Scott Kitchens E. Cody Laird, Jr. Stephen Lanier John W. Somerhalder II C. Austin Stephens Richard Tyler

Pictured: LINC over I-85, story on page 2

PATH Foundation Board of Directors