In a 5-0 vote, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of agreement with the Atlanta Regional Commission, the City of Atlanta, and the Trust for Public Land for the master planning and engineering design of Chattahoochee River Trail. This trail is one of the eight priority projects of the draft Cobb Greenways and Trails Master Plan.
The Chattahoochee River Trail will be a 3.1-mile trail running on the Cobb County side of the river, beginning to the south at Mableton Parkway and ending on the north at I-285. It will pass the future park near Discovery Boulevard, and the Riverview Landing mixed-use development. It will also connect to the future Proctor Creek Greenway across the river in the City of Atlanta.
The Board of Commissioners authorized the submission of a TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) grant application to the Atlanta Regional Commission on May 9, 2017, for master planning and engineering design of the trail. The Cobb DOT received word that the ARC approved the request on February 28, 2018. ARC will be the designated recipient of the funds.
According to the summary attached to the BOC agenda by Erica Parish, Transportation Agency Interim Director,
The estimated total project cost for master planning and engineering design is $1,500,000.00. This amount includes 80 percent federal funding, in an amount not to exceed $1,200,000.00, and a 20 percent required local match of $300,000.00. The 20 percent local match commitment will be shared equally, in an amount not to exceed $100,000.00 each, by Cobb County, the City of Atlanta (City), and Trust for Public Land (TPL). Cobb County’s share of the local match commitment is available in the 2016 SPLOST TIP Fund approved budget. The City and TPL have each submitted Letters of Financial Support to ARC indicating that they will commit $100,000.00 each towards the required local match. Each agency will be represented and will serve on the project management team.
6 trails and 2 greenways on the proposed Cobb Greenways and Trails Master Plan priority list
So … according to Cobb County planners, what’s the technical distinction(s) between a mixed-use trail / rail-trail and a greenway? Are bicycles allowed on greenways? Are they relatively unimproved footpaths like along Nickajack Creek in Heritage Park, or at Kennesaw NBF? Does a greenway technically count as part of a county network of multi-use trails if bicycles/recumbants/e-bikes/rollerblades/skates/skateboards aren’t permitted to be used? What about horses? Dogs on leashes? Etc etc etc?
This also applies to Connect the Comet plans and other recent announcements … not just this article dc
Estimated cost for 2.4 mile trail 12.3 million! Six million dollars a mile for a trail not interstate; Really !
I motion a investigation on the bank accounts of the Commissioners.