Newton Trails

At an evening reception on Monday, February 27, Newton Trails was presented a check for $4,059 from the Newton Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta.  Joining us at the podium were representatives of fellow grant recipients:  Project ReNeWal Domestic Violence Intervention Program, The Salvation Army, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul - St. Augustine Conference, and Washington Street Community Center.  It is humbling to be recognized alongside these incredible organizations that do so much for Newton County.

As I said in my remarks to the attendees, "I don't need to tell you this, but I need for you to know we know it.  These are difficult times, and ours is very much a community in need.  With so many struggling to keep shelter over head and food on the table, it’s easy to view trails, green space, and recreation as niceties and not necessities.  We don’t see it that way, but we know it took foresight for the advisory committee to recognize the importance of what we do.  Thank you for sharing our vision."

I went on to talk about growing evidence that our built environment is forcing people into cars and away from simple, effective physical activities like walking and biking that can help combat the growing incidence of child and adult obesity and related illnesses.  I explained why we believe there is a health crisis in our community (and all across America) and why we believe trails are a vital element for addressing that crisis.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has an entire program called Healthy Places and a number of resources, including the Healthy Communities Design Checklist.  Not surprisingly, sidewalks, bike lanes, parks, trails, and green space are all key elements highlighted for their positive impact on community health.

Another useful resource is the Designing Healthy Communities series produced by Dr. Richard Jackson, MD and broadcast by the Public Broadcast System (PBS).  Here's a preview clip of episode 1, Retrofitting Suburbia:

When you look at Newton Trails and our four fellow non-profits receiving support this year from the Newton Fund, we each seek to solve different problems.   The Salvation Army and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are reaching out in a personal way with a helping hand to put food on the tables, clothes on the backs, and roofs over the heads of families in need in our community.  Project ReNeWal provides safe haven and counseling in an effort  to break the terrible cycle of domestic abuse.  Washington Street Community Center gives young people, parents, and grandparents tools and skills to find a path to a better life through education and mentoring in life skills.

We're all threads -- along with many other non-profits in Newton County -- weaving the fabric of a stronger community.  It takes all of us.  We encourage you to support everyone trying to make this a better community.  We are grateful for the gifts of time, money, and encouragement you give to Newton Trails, and we hope you feel good knowing you are making a difference.

Discuss Newton County's rail-trail opportunity with friends and neighbors and someone will surely raise concerns about the economics of such a project.  I've written recently about the positive effect trails have on the local economy from increased tourism spending and stronger industry recruitment tools.  But, what about that federal deficit?  By accepting and spending federal grant money, aren't we contributing to runaway spending in Washington and heaping crippling debt onto our children and grandchildren?

Well, not exactly.

The two federal earmarks awarded to Newton County in 2008 and 2009 for the railroad corridor acquisition were provided under the Transportation, Community, & System Preservation (TCSP) program of the Federal Highway Adminstration (FHWA).  The other grants Newton County currently holds for construction of the Eastside and Turkey Creek/Yellow River trails were awarded under the Transportation Enhancements (TE) program of the FHWA.

Both programs reimburse states and local governments for certain transportation-related projects from the Highway Trust Fund (HTW), which is funded through users fees in the form of taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas, LP, tires, truck & trailer purchases, and heavy vehicle licensing.

The term "Federal Highway Aid" is a misnomer, since the "aid" provided by the federal government is simply a redistribution of taxes collected from the states.  And, as in most such systems, the redistribution favors some states and punishes others.  The winners (debtor states) receive more federal aid than the taxes paid by that state's residents.  The losers (donor states) receive back in federal aid less dollars than what state residents contributed.

Since 1956, when the Federal Highway Trust was created, Georgia has been a donor state, receiving back only 84% of the money paid into the fund.  Meanwhile, New York has received a 113% return on taxes paid.  In 2009 alone, Georgians paid an excess of $206 million into the fund vs. the amount received back in federal grants.  (For a writeup describing the inequities of the current system, see this piece from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.)

I could readily support a system that allows states to keep our highway taxes local and not have them redistributed by the federal government.  But, that is not the system in effect today.  Those who advocate "giving back" the railroad grants do not understand this money comes from the Federal Highway Trust and is allocated by law to the TCSP and TE programs.  If not used on a project in Newton County, it will be used on a project in another Georgia county, or even in another state.  And, why should Georgians pay to build a rail trail in New York state?  I guarantee you THAT won't bring tourism dollars to Newton County.

For more information on the Transportation Enhancements program, click here.  For more information about the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation program, click here.

They say that these are not the best of times, but they're the only times I've ever known.

That opening from Billy Joel's song Summer Highland Falls sticks with me.  I'm not sure what Billy meant to convey, but the lyric reinforces my belief there's nothing to be gained by dwelling on the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  These may turn out to be good times or bad times years from now, in some historian's rear view mirror.  But, for me, they are only my times.  And, whether by divine purpose or simply the hand of fate, here and now is my one ride on the merry go round.

I thought about "these times" often this past week, as we all do, reading story after story about the monumental challenges facing federal, state, and local leaders as they wrestle with shrinking revenues, reduced budgets, and a stagnant economy.  Good or bad, one thing is certain:  these are tough times.  They are tough times for families to make ends meet, and they are tough times to advocate investments in our future.... such as a trail system.

But, saying these are "my times" is not just acknowledging the luck of the draw.  It's about ownership.  It's believing we take the cards we are dealt and we play the very best hand we can.  And, I believe, even in times like these, the winning hand is the one that builds a foundation for better days we hope and/or believe lie ahead.  Good things do not come to those who wait.  They come to those who create a world in which good things are inevitable.

Following the Dec 7 vote by the Newton County Board of Commissioners authorizing a grant request for the Eastside Trail that may require $100,000 in matching funds, I had a frank discussion with a fellow citizen.  This gentleman was clearly troubled by this action and felt the timing was all wrong in light of the county's budget woes.  While he accepted that trails might foster economic development to benefit the county, his analogy was basically that this was no time to go elephant hunting, when we needed to save our nuts to feed the hungry.

I took his argument to heart.  But, I countered with my view.  The problem now is there simply are not enough nuts to feed everyone.  Our explosive population growth and the skew towards a residential tax base -- with too little revenue to fund basic services and not enough good jobs to go around -- has put our county in a bad place.  We cannot rely on our available store of nuts to feed us until better days are here.  We must act now to foster economic development and attract commercial and industrial business to our community.  (I was pleased to see that, despite all the challenges he faces, our new Governor has put economic development at the top of his short list of protected funding.  It's a tough sell in a down economy, but it truly is our only hope.)

Trails are not magic.  A 10-foot-wide strip of concrete won't change the world, nor will it reverse our economic fortunes over night.  But, they are an important element in an overall economic development strategy to right our tax base and generate new revenue streams for our local economy.  The tourism impact of walking/biking trails is well documented across the nation.  And, increasingly communities are using greenway trails as a lifestyle draw for major new industries.  Chattanooga recently landed a $1B investment from Volkswagen of America that will create more than 2,200 new jobs.  And, part of their package to close the deal was a major park and trail system the city and county built on the site of the new industrial park.  In a competitive landscape, these are the things that set one location apart from another.  These are the indicators that tell a potential new industry that they can recruit and retain professional talent in one community better than in another.

Yes, these are tough times.  But, they are my times and they are your times.  May we continue doing that which much be done to bring us once again to good times.

It's been quite a week.  The fact the Newton County Board of Commissioners is poised to approve a list of projects for the 2011 SPLOST that includes zero dollars for trail projects is disappointing.  I do not believe that action is consistent with the wishes of the majority of Newton County citizens who showed up in public meeting after public meeting to say trails matter to us.

At the same time, we had good news on many fronts this week.  The Harvest Picking at Old Church fundraiser was a huge success, and a harbinger of even better days ahead.  The Covington City Council endorsed a study to place a pedestrian bridge between Oxford and Covington over I-20.  The Newton County BoC approved requests to seek a grant to build a trail head in Porterdale and a Safe Routes to School grant to make it safer for children to bike and walk to several county schools.

All in all, it wasn't a great week.  But, it was a pretty darn good week.  Thank you, everyone who has worked hard to ensure our county reaps the significant benefits of a trail and greenway system.  As we posted some time back on our Facebook page:

"There is only one thing more powerful than all the armies of the world, that is an idea whose time has come"

Keep the faith.  Keep doing what you are doing.  Take heart in the 580+ friends you have on our Facebook page.  Be buoyed by the 100+ fellow supporters who turned up last weekend at Old Church.  Rest assured, you make a difference every day. Ever onward!