Two of our Statesboro Pacers, Larry Mutter and Carolyn Altman have been incredible forces in working to bring Greenways to Bulloch County.
Larry Mutter spearheaded the Bulloch Greenways Steering Committee some time ago and coordinated Greenway planning efforts between this committee, Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department, and Georgia Southern University. The result was the evolution of a comprehensive and excellent "Greenways System Master Plan" for Bulloch County. This plan was prepared for Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Dept. who coordinates Greenways planning in Bulloch County. For more information visit Greenways in Bulloch County.
Carolyn Altman is currently spearheading a "Friends of the Greenway" group, whose mission will be to help educate folks about greenways, advocate their development, and raise monies for their support. Below she lists ways each of us can become a "Friend of the Greenway" and help bring Greenways to Bulloch County.
Please check back to this page periodically for the latest developments on Greenways in Bulloch County.
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by Carolyn Altman, 9/20/05, a message to all Greenway advocates...
I'm working with KBB on the acquisition of greenspace, so if you or any of the Pacers are interested in this, we are looking for help! There is a little money, and some will on the part of the County, which is good, so it wouldn't be a totally uphill battle. If you or Danny know of anyone interested in this, I'd be grateful if you could pass along their names.
Additionally, a quick update on the S & S Greenway. Mike Rollins [Director of S'boro Bulloch Co. Parks & Rec Dept] has achieved a miracle and gotten the ok from DOT to go under the bypass and rumor has it that the County voted today [9/20/05] to come up with the matching money for the next phase. I imagine that construction will be rolling along, so if you want to have an impact on the "impact between bones and trail surface," now might be the time. [Carolyn refers to Pacers writing/contacting/encouraging these greenway developers/decision makers to consider using asphalt greenways vs. concrete greenways] I have been on the greenway from Gentilly to Cawana road, and it is pretty wet, so if there are engineering concerns about that, keep that in mind. The next bit is all road.
Carolyn Altman
Carolyn Altman can be reached at <babyheart@frontiernet.net> or 912-871-3423.
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by Larry Mutter, 5/12/2004, a message to all Greenway advocates...
Hello Greenway Supporters,
A quick update on the one mile Downtown Greenway/Linear Park that has been
in the works for (ugh) a decade:
Joseph Mosley, Statesboro City Planner, called me this morning and told
me that construction will likely begin on the corridor this summer. This
is the good news. The bad news is that this timeframe could be extended
due to procedural reviews necessary for this type of construction project.
Joseph told me that bids for construction of the corridor were opened and
reviewed in early May by City staff. Using established criteria, staff selected
a construction company that they will recommend to the Statesboro City Council
at next week's meeting. If Council approves the recommendation, the City
will forward it to the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) for review.
DOT is the agency that provided grant money to the City way back in the
mid 1990s and they have to approve important decisions, such as what construction
company is hired to develop the corridor. If DOT concurs with the City Council's
recommendation, they issue a "Notice to Proceed" to the City and
that is when construction can begin.
I'm not sure anything can be done by the greenways community at this point.
It is a waiting game. The City Council usually goes along with staff recommendations;
the only hold-up could be the DOT decision making.
Please note that this project is distinctly different from the $530,000
grant received several weeks ago by the County for development of phase
one of the S&S Greenway. Carolyn Altman and I (and others) will
track progress on this grant and report on it at as information becomes
available to us.
Larry Mutter
Larry Mutter can be reached at <lmutt@georgiasouthern.edu>.
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JAKE HALLMAN/staff
State Sen. Jack Hill, left, Bulloch County Recreation Director Mike Rollins,
center, and state Rep. Bob Lane discuss the county’s plans to establish
a greenway and bike path between Statesboro and Brooklet. On Wednesday,
the county received a $529,000 grant to begin work on the project.
By KATHERINE FITCH
kfitch@statesboroherald.net
Bulloch County is heading down a new path - and it’s a bike path.
On Wednesday, Bulloch County received a $529,000 grant to begin construction
on a greenway walking and bike path that will ultimately connect Statesboro
and Brooklet.
The grant is part of the state’s federal Transportation Enhancement
funds which are awarded by the state Department of Transportation every
two years.
Recreation Department Director Mike Rollins said the grant will be used
to begin work on the county’s first greenway project, which will provide
a needed and safe corridor for cyclists, walkers and runners.
“It’s just an excellent opportunity to establish a linear park
between here and Brooklet,” Rollins said. He said the county expects
to have a finished plan and begin construction within a year on the first
phase which will begin at Memorial Park on Fair Road and run to Gentilly
Road. Subsequent phases will run the greenway behind Winn-Dixie, cross the
bypass and on to Brooklet. “It’s almost as straight as an arrow,”
Rollins said of the proposed route which follows the old S&S Railroad
line. In total he said the greenway will be between eight and nine miles
long.
Rollins said the first phase of the project will actually be the hardest
section to complete because the county must acquire the land for the project.
However, he said later portions of the project will be easier because the
county already owns most of the property along the old railroad line.
Although the grant will allow the county to begin the project, Rollins said
additional funds will be necessary to complete it. As part of the grant,
the county will contribute some funds to the project although Rollins said
they have not determined the amount yet.
The linear park is one of many greenway and bike path projects developed
over the last two years by a steering committee operating under the Recreation
Department. Although Statesboro is a college town, Rollins said there is
a real lack of routes for bicyclist and walkers.
Larry Mutter, who worked on the steering committee which developed a greenway
master plan for the county, said 84 percent of residents who responded to
a leisure survey by the Recreation Department, said they wanted more bike
paths and trails. “We have laid out (in the master plan) over 300 miles
of bikeways, multi-use greenways and shared use routes,” Mutter said.
Carolyn Altman, who also served on the greenway steering committee, said
she has seen alot of enthusiasm for the project — from parents who
want a safe place to bike ride with their children to college students in
Brooklet who want an alternative way to commute to Statesboro. “Across
the board, people are thrilled with this project,” she said.
Danny and Debbie Gleason, who are with the Statesboro Pacers running club,
said they are looking forward to having a safe place to run. The Gleasons
also worked on the steering committee which helped develop the greenway
master plan and said ultimately they would like to see a network of paths
connecting schools, parks, cities and shopping areas.
Statesboro cyclists Ray and Mary Fry, who are part of a Georgia tandem bikers
association, said they are looking forward to having someplace to ride away
from traffic.
The grant was presented to county officials by Jon Burns, representative
for the 12th District on the state Department of Transportation Board.
“It was an excellent project,” Burns said. This year the DOT received
338 grant applications totaling $218 million in requests. Burns said the
DOT only had $56 million to award and all of the projects were worthwhile.
The grants are given for a number of different transportation projects including
greenways, bike lanes, streetscapes and preservation of scenic byways.
Bulloch County Chairman Johnny Parrish said county officials, state representatives
and the community came together to obtain the grant for the county.
“When you’ve got everybody on the same sheet of music it sounds
good, and it sounded good here today,” Parrish said.
Katherine Fitch can be reached at (912) 489-9411.
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by Carolyn Altman, 4/28/2004, a message to all Greenway advocates...
Hello Hardworking Greenway People:
Just a quick note to let you know we just found out that the S and S Greenway has been funded for over $500,000! Thanks to all the folks, including you, who helped make this happen. There will be a press conference at 5PM today at the County Annex on North Main, at which Parks and Rec will announce the project. Go if you can, and let the world know you can't wait for this project to get rolling.
Yippie!! Now we need to help raise the consciousness about how cool this greenway will be, rally to show support, help raise matching money, and do whatever we can to make this greenway happen.
Debbie Gleason and I met many many greenway supporters at an Earth Day table about the greenway system, and have added these folks to our notification list. It was great to fill people in on the possibilities for greenways in the county, and people were thrilled with the prospects. Many have enjoyed greenways in other parts of the state and country, and had much to say about how these greenways enhanced those communities economically and in terms of health, aesthetics, tourism, and general fun. If you belong to a group that would like to have a quick, fun presentation on greenways, and a chance to help develop a vision for them in the county, please call me at 912-871-3423. The best we can do right now is to generate serious desire.
In other news, the House and Senate have agreed to maintain the funding for our sorts of projects (bikeways, greenways, ped/bike issues) at ten percent of the Transportation Bill, which is what it has been for the last term of the bill. However, they did disagree on the total funding for the bill, and President Bush considers both of their numbers too high, so the entire bill is tabled until after the election. We thank the folks who work for Max Burns for explaining all this to us, and for tracking the S and S grant.
Get ready for action. We'll keep you posted.
Thanks again for making some green possible for us all.
Carolyn Altman
Carolyn Altman can be reached at <babyheart@frontiernet.net>
or 912-871-3423.
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Pacer, Larry Mutter who has been the driving force in organizing the Greenways Steering Committee in hopes of building Greenways throughout Bulloch County, eloquently represented the many Greenway supporters who attended last Tuesday's Town Hall Mtg. Greenway supporters, many of them Pacers, comprised roughly 1/4 of the audience. Here's Larry's follow up to that meeting:
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Pacer, Carolyn Altman, another dynamic force in town, has been diligently researching ways each of us can help support Greenways coming to Bulloch Co. with the S&S Greenway as the #1 Priority! As a group, we CAN effect change…if each of us follows even one of her suggestions below, the powers that be would learn the majority of their constituents support Greenways in Bulloch County! Here's her letter:
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Copied from: http://www.railtrails.org/news/newsreleases/default.asp?id=68
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
4/2/2004
MEDIA CONTACT:
Karen Stewart
rtckaren@transact.org
NEW TRANSPORTATION BILL REFLECTS
INCREASED DEMAND FOR TRAILS
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy commends Congress for its commitment
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2 - Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to increase federal investment in trails and greenways with the passage of the reauthorization of the nation's surface transportation statute. H.R. 3550, "The Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users," provides $275 billion for transportation over the next six years. The bill is now headed to a conference committee to resolve differences with a version of the legislation previously passed by the U.S. Senate.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a national organization that advocates on behalf of trails and greenways, commends members of the U.S. House of Representatives for their support of four key programs (funding is over six years):
* Transportation Enhancements (TE). This popular program, which funds community-based trail, bicycle and pedestrian projects, will receive approximately $3.7 billion in the House bill.
* Recreational Trails Program. This program, which funds trails by using a portion of the federal gas taxes attributable to off-road recreation, is funded at $503 million.
* Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program. This program, funded at $145 million, will assist several cities to complete seamless transportation networks - connecting trails, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, mass transit, etc. - which will serve as national models demonstrating that communities will routinely use alternative modes of transportation if available.
* Safe Routes to School. This critical new program, aimed at making it safer for children to walk and bicycle to school, is proposed to be funded at $1 billion.
"Rails-to-Trails Conservancy supports a healthy and balanced transportation system," says RTC President Keith Laughlin. "The time is passed for the federal government to narrowly focus on building roads. This legislation demonstrates that Congress is responding to the American people's desire for safe places to walk and bicycle in their communities."
RTC mounted a successful nationwide campaign last year to save TE funding after a House Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate it for fiscal year 2004. RTC and its partners mobilized grassroots networks of trail, bicycle and pedestrian advocates from across the nation. The strong support for continued investment in trails and greenways was demonstrated when the House voted 327 to 90 on September 4, 2003 to restore TE program funding.
--30-- Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy, a nonprofit organization with more than 100,000 members
and supporters, is the nation's largest trails organization dedicated to
connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public
trails, many from former rail lines and connecting corridors. Founded in
1986, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is located in Washington, D.C., and more
information can be found at www.railtrails.org.
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Pacer, Larry Mutter who has been an absolutely incredible force and spearhead in bringing folks together through the Greenways Steering Committee in hopes of building Greenways throughout Bulloch County, shares the following good news he recently received from Jason Boyles, Statesboro's Assistant City Engineer and Greenways Steering Committee Member!!
Great news Jason & Larry! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have that complete in time for the Jingle Bell Run, that first Thursday in December for a possible inaugural opening of Greenway? And maybe Pacers & Jingle Bell Race Coordinators Carla Easter & Deborah Carico could consider re-routing Jingle Bell Run along this new Greenway?? Here's hoping!!!
For more information: Greenways
in Bulloch County. This link is also posted on our Statesboro
Pacers' Home Page under "Other
Clubs/Orgs" "Statesboro-Bulloch
Greenways for Tomorrow."
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