Recent storms don’t wash away greenway
Construction on the Barren Fork Greenway has not been seriously affected by recent floods and record rainfall, city officials said.
The approximately 1-mile-long greenway trail has been under construction since December and is expected to be completed around the end of June, according to Parks and Recreation Director Carlene Brown, who noted the construction company reported “minimum damage” from the floods.
Although some gravel was washed out in various areas, a fishing pier that has been completed also withstood the recent rain. Waters were reported to have risen above the pier but after the water subsided, the pier was left intact.
River flooding has been one consideration for the trail, which was estimated to cost more than $500,000, with the majority of the project funded by a state grant.
“Everybody was concerned about it, and if we would have built a building down there, it would have been terrible,” Brown said last week. “But we’re building in a flood plain to be able to use it after it dries right back out.”
The greenway trail, which is 12-feet wide, begins at Riverfront Park, runs parallel to the Barren Fork River toward the dam, turns into sidewalks that cross the Frank G. Clement Bridge and extends into Pepper Branch Park, where Brown said paths and a parking lot will be constructed. The trail can also be accessed beginning at Pepper Branch.
The Barren Fork Greenway and the new city pool are two of the major Parks and Recreation Department projects that have been on the horizon for the past several years.
Members of the Parks and Recreation Committee who met Monday said they would release more news on the status of pool construction and opening tomorrow. Committee members also voted to legally call the new pool the Gilley Pool.