Atlanta BeltLine Announces Opening of West End Trail’s Second Phase

June 26th Events to Include 5K Run and Ceremony Celebrating Westview Neighborhood’s 100-Year Anniversary

ATLANTA (June 15, 2010) – The second phase of the Atlanta BeltLine’s West End Trail will formally open on Sat., June 26, at 10:30 a.m. near KIPP STRIVE Academy (1444 Lucile Ave., SW). The ceremony will be part of the Westview neighborhood’s 100-year celebration, which follows a 5K Atlanta BeltLine Run beginning at 9:30 a.m.

“With the opening of this trail, we have completed 10 percent of the 33-mile Atlanta BeltLine trail system,” said Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. President and CEO Brian Leary. “This second phase of the West End Trail provides access to enter the Atlanta BeltLine from the neighborhood, it offers connectivity to Washington Park via the Atlanta BeltLine corridor, and – of course – it links to the rich historical resource that is Westview Cemetery.”

This 1.4-mile stretch of the 2.4-mile segment of Atlanta BeltLine trail runs from the intersection of Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. and White Street in West End, and continues through Westview, alongside Muse and Langhorn Streets, under Interstate 20 and through Mozley Park, alongside Westview Drive to the Westview Cemetery. Its successful build-out marks the completion of 10 percent of the total trails to be built as part of the Atlanta BeltLine.

The design and construction of the second phase of the West End Trail were managed for the Atlanta BeltLine by the PATH Foundation, which was also instrumental in leveraging more than $300,000 in PATH Foundation funds and more than $100,000 from the BeltLine Partnership Capital Campaign to access more than $1.3M in federal funds.

“Public-private partnership is crucial to the success of the Atlanta BeltLine,” said BeltLine Partnership Executive Director Valarie Wilson. “The West End Trail is a shining example of the sectors coming together to build a more livable community, and the PATH Foundation’s leadership has been crucial to see it to fruition.”

About the Atlanta BeltLine
The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects currently underway in the United States. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI), formed by the Atlanta Development Authority, is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. The BeltLine Partnership (BLP) is a non-profit organization committed to raising funds from private and philanthropic sources to support the Atlanta BeltLine, working with the community and partners to raise general awareness and support, and serving as a catalyst to mobilize resources to address social concerns. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.


CONTACTS:

Ethan Davidson, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
(404) 614-8325; edavidson@atlbeltline.org

Howard Lalli, BeltLine Partnership
404.790.0224, howard@beltlinepartnership.org

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *