The Hall County government has partnered with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce to install public artwork along the Chicopee section of the Highlands to Islands trail network.
Three "bottle trees" were installed along the trail near the entrance to the Chicopee Mill Village. Hall County Public Information Officer Katie Crumley said the metal trunks and branches of the trees were created by welding students at North Hall High School, while the bottles were collected by the county's resource recovery division.
Frank Norton, Jr., chair of Vision 2030 Public Art for the county, said the trees were installed as part of the county's strategic plan, which calls for enhancing the county's greenways and pedestrian structures.
"Seeing how all of these various groups came together to make this piece of art available to the masses really speaks to the type of community we have here in Hall County. Public art has really become a collaborative effort between artists, the private sector and government. It's this type of partnership that has made public art an integral component of the Hall County community." Norton, Jr. said.
The Highlands to Islands trail is a planned 15-mile trail network that officials say will eventually loop around the south side of Gainesville, connecting the Gainesville square to the University of North Georgia campus.
