GAINESVILLE – Thanks to the largest donation ever received by the City of Gainesville a portion of the Highlands to Islands trail system will be able to be completed sooner than expected.
Colorado-based Pilgrim’s Pride annually re-invests in the communities where it has operations and Gainesville is one of those communities. Through the food-processing giant’s “Hometown Strong” program $785,000 is headed to Gainesville for the purpose of filling a gap in the trail’s route structure while adding a trail connection to the company’s facility along Industrial Boulevard.
The announcement of the generous donation was made at Tuesday’s Gainesville City Council meeting by Assistant City Manager Angela Sheppard. “As many of you know we are missing a segment…and this is going to help us go a long way in building and constructing that piece.”
While the construction activity funded by the donation will take place primarily inside Gainesville city limits, Sheppard invited other stakeholders to be a part of the gift acceptance event. “This has really become a community-wide project, so I felt like it was not right just for us to receive it but it really needs to be a community effort.”
The multi-use trail system will eventually link the Rock Creek Greenway near the Gainesville Square with trails along Friendship Road and Lanier Islands Parkway, extending to points in Braselton and the University of North Georgia campus in Oakwood.
The Pilgrim’s donation will provide for construction of an incomplete 0.44-mile portion of the trail between Industrial Boulevard at Pine Street, along Georgia Avenue, paralleling the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks, beneath Queen City Parkway then south to Aviation Boulevard.
In addition a 0.27-mile spur will connect the Pilgrim’s processing plant on Industrial Boulevard at Mitchell Street to the Industrial Boulevard at Pine Street location.
Gainesville Plant Manager Tom Sanders told city council members, “On behalf of Pilgrim’s and for the team here in Gainesville, I appreciate the opportunity to be a partner…and to truly be a part of this community.”
Councilwoman Barbara Brooks said, “I am so grateful that we have businesses and organizations in the community who make such grand commitments to the growth of Gainesville.”
City Manager Bryan Lackey said he hopes to see work on the trail extension begin within a year.
