Mayor Kasim Reed to Dedicate Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Connector Trail Saturday, August 10

Phase 1 of 4.5-mile spur trail will eventually connect to the
Atlanta BeltLine

ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the PATH Foundation, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership will officially dedicate the Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Connector Trail on Saturday, August 10 at 10 a.m. next to Beecher Hills Elementary School. This new one-mile spur trail will be part of the 33-mile network of Atlanta BeltLine trails, and will eventually connect to the 22-mile Atlanta BeltLine in the Westview neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. The spur trail winds through a serene stretch of woods, originating at the existing Lionel Hampton Trail and emerging onto Westwood Avenue. With connections between the Beecher Hills and Westwood Terrace neighborhoods, the trail will allow for improved access to Beecher Hills Elementary School.

“The Southwest Connector Trail is another exciting step towards making Atlanta a more green and sustainable city,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “We must continue to ensure that residents throughout the city have safe options for exercising, walking or biking to school, and enjoying the outdoors. With seamless partnerships, we will continue to build impactful projects like this one.”

The Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Connector Trail is funded by City of Atlanta Park Improvement Bonds along with $200,000 from the PATH Foundation. The Department of Watershed Management and the Atlanta Independent School System provided critical easements for the trail. The PATH Foundation led the design and construction for the project.

This new trail will be patrolled by the Atlanta Police Department’s Path Force Unit. This specially-formed team of police officers started patrolling all Atlanta BeltLine parks and trails in July of this year.

The Southwest Connector Trail, along with the Eastside Trail, the West End Trail and the Northside Trail, will bring the total of permanent trails to nearly seven miles along and near the Atlanta BeltLine corridor.

The Southwest Connector Trail dedication ceremony will be held next to Beecher Hills Elementary School located at 2257 Bollingbrook Drive, 30311. Family-friendly activities in a festival-like atmosphere will also take place in the school’s parking lot.

Parking is available along the street and in the school’s parking lot. More information about transportation and parking at the event is available online at the Atlanta BeltLine website.

 

About the Atlanta BeltLine

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 and mobility projects currently underway in the United States. The Atlanta BeltLine is a sustainable 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. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) 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 Atlanta BeltLine Partnership (ABLP) 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.

 

About the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership

The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership (ABLP) 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.

 

About the PATH Foundation

The PATH Foundation was founded in 1991 with a vision to build a network of greenway trails in and around Atlanta for commuting and recreating.  Now preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary, PATH has evolved from a spirited start-up organization to a nationally recognized model for trail-building success.  PATH’s trails connect residential and commercial centers and provide safe places for walking, jogging, biking and “neighboring.”  Today, 150 miles of PATH trails traverse the state of Georgia, stretching from the farmlands at the Alabama state line in Polk County, through the City of Atlanta to the granite outcroppings of Arabia Mountain Park in southeastern DeKalb County, and along the Georgia coast on St. Simons Island.  For more information, please visit www.pathfoundation.org.

 

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