Newton Trails

There's a familiar saying:  "Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it."  I'm taking it a step further.  Forget those who say it can't be done, find those who are doing it, and help make it happen!  Where there's no will, there's no way.  And, greenway trails are built with willpower.

Local news has been dominated for months by repeated refusals from the Covington City Council and Newton County Board of Commissioners to consider acquiring the Central of Georgia Railroad corridor -- for trail use or any other purpose.  We'll take that up another day, for there are many pages left unturned in that book.  But, today, I want to highlight a story receiving far less coverage:  the recent Transportation Enhancements (TE) grant awarded to the City of Porterdale by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).  That $250 thousand grant, backed by local SPLOST collections and private contributions, will fund a project to convert the Historic Railroad Depot into a trail head and community events facility and also construct a concrete trail connecting the Depot to Broad St and the existing loop trail by the Yellow River.

I met Thursday morning with Porterdale Mayor Bobby Hamby, City Manager Bob Thompson, and the city's contracted engineer Marty Boyd.  We reviewed drawings and the project budget.  By itself, restoring the Depot and creating a short connecting trail is a great first step.  But, even more impressive are the city's visionary plans for a comprehensive Riverside Park in the area along the river across Broad St north of the Lofts.  When you factor in the county's Turkey Creek/Yellow River Trail project that would connect Porterdale to Newton High School and Turner Lake Park in Covington, your imagination runs wild.  Leveraging the greenway trail system with a water trail for canoists, kayakers,  and boaters on the Yellow River, you quickly see the tourism and economic development impacts that will transform Porterdale.

Porterdale is a  city with big dreams taking small steps.  And at a time when larger communities seem paralyzed by a lack of unified vision, small steps are cause for big celebration!  These are the people who created a community garden, a farmers market, and a public library from sheer will, personal determination, and a refusal to be limited by things as they are.  These are the people who will someday restore their beloved  landmark gymnasium lost to fire.  And, these are the people who will create a Riverside Park that is the envy of all Newton County and beyond.

At Newton Trails, we support and admire the people of Porterdale.  In the weeks ahead, I will work with our board and the City of Porterdale to determine how best to partner and assist them in their cause.  And, I know we can count on you, our supporters, to join us in that effort. 

In this video, a group of adults said it couldn't be done.  But the will of a young boy, personally committed to creating a different reality, inspired a different outcome.  We've found that will in Porterdale, now let's find the way!

I'm proud of our new yard signs promoting trails in Newton County.  But, that doesn't mean I'm happy to see them.  In one of my very first Trail Talk Blog posts last November, I commented on the "No Rails to Trails" signs popping up in Starrsville and other locales.  I said then we would not be answering with a sign of our own.  We were still conflicted as a board when we voted in late March to reverse that stance and move forward with a sign.

We still believe dialog is how healthy communities find their common interests, prioritize what they value, and chart a course together.  Signs are not dialog; they are shouting without listening.  Unfortunately, our community is not a healthy place these days, and dialog has been hard to come by.  I held out hope last Fall our leaders would see the broader picture, consider the plans they've adopted over the years committed to trail building, and facilitate dialog to help trail opponents understand the value of greenway trails.  Instead, it seems a majority of those elected officials have come to believe the "No Rails to Trails" movement is indicative of the public sentiment at large.

That is not the case.  And, so it was time to act.  I thank our supporters for pressing the issue and asking us to reconsider our stance.  We've tried to keep to a positive message.  We hope it is more a smile than a shout.  But, it is and must be a defiant shout.

As I wrote in my editorial to be published in Sunday's Covington News, trail supporters have turned out repeatedly over the years in public input sessions for every major county plan:  the recreation plan, comprehensive transportation plan, and county comprehensive plan.  Those plans reflect both the broad public demand for greenway trails and the local government commitment to make their development a priority.  It is simply not acceptable behavior for those same officials to pretend such plans do not exist.

Hopefully, the signs are a friendly reminder:  I counted then, and I count now.

It's been a quiet January on the Trail Talk blog.  Once you get past reflections on the past year's accomplishments and dreaming of what we can achieve in 2011, you get back to the reality that it's winter.  It's a time for transitioning from holiday mode back to the daily grind.  It's a time for staying inside where it's warm and not outside where it's was cold and ICY for much of the month.  It's not been a time to think much about trails.

Which is why I was excited when the Covington Lions Club invited me to be guest speaker at their January 13 meeting.  And, lucky for me, when snow and ice forced cancellation, they invited me back last night, January 27.

Of all the things we do as advocates for trails and greenways, nothing is more important than the simple act of talking with our friends and neighbors.  We often assume everyone sees the same vision we do, but the reality is that dialog is what leads to understanding.  That's why I was so happy to discuss the reasons that I personally -- and Newton Trails as a community-focused organization -- believe trails and greenways are a great investment for Newton County.  We talked about health benefits, transportation needs, economic impact, property value stabilization, greenspace preservation, and the conserving of our history and heritage.

I'm grateful to the Lions for giving me that opportunity, for being great hosts, and for joining me in a lively, friendly chat about something that matters much to me.  It was a fun night, and I hope a productive one.  It was just what I needed to get reenergized and refocused on what we need to accomplish with trailbuilding in Newton County this year.

I encourage each of you to find times and places where you can have such conversations with your friends and neighbors.  And, if there's ever a chance I can join you, please let me know.

Though the project includes a pedestrian tunnel, the recent opening of the Turner Lake Rd/Clark St roundabout in Covington is primarily a development for car traffic.  Still, as I watch the public commentary on that project, I can't help but see parallels to the public debate over trails in Newton County.  And, I can't help but feel encouraged.

For more than a year, we heard prophets of doom warn of the calamity and the carnage that was to come when motorists sought to navigate this strange and unwelcome traffic circle.  Others decried the wastefulness of the spending -- though most really had no idea what the project would cost nor what other alternatives were considered before this design was selected.

The roundabout has now been open to traffic for three weeks.  And, based on conversations I've heard and commentary in online forums and newspapers, the response is overwhelmingly positive.  The mayhem has not materialized, traffic is flowing, and most motorist feel the change has been a good one.  Even more encouraging, I see those who support the project actively speaking out and correcting misinformation or misunderstandings shared by others who still claim the project was a waste of money.  As supporters are quick to point out, the roundabout was a less costly solution than the alternative of adding a turn lane to the intersection.  And, it will be especially less costly to operate on an ongoing basis, with no traffic light now required.

Increasingly, I see similar behavior in the dialog around trails and greenways for Newton County.  Informed supporters are getting the facts and speaking out.  And, so, I can't help but feel encouraged.

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!