In November the City of Huntsville announced a bold but not unprecedented partnership with the Land Trust of North Alabama to assist the city in growing its greenway network.
If your asking what can the Land Trust do that the city can't, the answer is, a lot. For example they can raise funds through corporate donations, negotiate land deals, and other non profity things that I don't understand. This of course its the exact same thing they already do for the over 6,000 acres of land they preside over. This is not without president, Atlanta built the BeltLine which is a 22 mile long greenway loop around the entire city with 33 miles of additional connected multi-use paths by utilizing a similar non-profit partnership. The Atlanta BeltLine has comprehensive website which will give you a taste of what Huntsville may have in store.
A recent Huntsville City blog post laid out more details that are sure to excite any greenway enthusiast. As mentioned in our Greenway Guide most greenways are built on flood plains and are constructed withstand flood conditions. This of course comes at cost of around one million dollars per mile and with over 120 miles still to be built that is a pretty steep cost. But according to the blog, as a way to expedite the growth of the network by reducing costs, they will be looking to build more hard packed gravel sections in places where flooding is not a concern. These new sections will be souped up versions Monte Sano State Park's South Plateau Loop. I'd speculate that the Land Trust and the City of Huntsville has some places targeted already for these types of paths as quick wins. As more details come out will be keeping you informed and updating our Greenway Guide Accordingly.
Luke Brisk
Luke has been writing for Huntsville Outdoors and screwing up its source code since 2013. He is an Eagle Scout hailing from the Central Minnesota Council’s Troop 88. A majority of his time outdoors is spent either on a greenway or a trail.
