City of Duluth Recieves $600K for Green Space

DULUTH, GA, 9/15/03: The City of Duluth recently received a check for $600,000 from The Trust for Public Land to help the city with its green space acquisition and land conservation efforts.

Duluth leveraged the $600,000 grant and bought 12.75 acres on Rogers Bridge Road at the Chattahoochee River ($1,480,000); 20.75 acres adjacent to U.S. National Park Service property ($435,798); and, trail and conservation easements through two golf coursed and across private land linking the NPS property with the Rogers Bridge Road tract.

“There’s been a very good working relationship between the city and TPL from the very beginning,” says Kevin Johnson, a project manager for TPL-Georgia. “Our check, along with monies the city has obtained from the Georgia Greenspace Fund, will allow the city to purchase some river-front property as well as acquire conservation easements across other land along the Chattahoochee River.”

“The money comes from our Chattahoochee River Protection Campaign,” confirms Mark Wolinsky, another project manager working with TPL-Georgia. “It brings a total of $1 million we’ve given the city for green space protection since 1999.”

This check will facilitate the city’s acquisition of more than 13 acres of prime riverfront property that will be dedicated as parkland and incorporated into the city’s river greenway system. It will also allow the city to buy two public pedestrian and bicycle trail easements on adjacent properties.

“Without TPL’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to move as aggressively as we have on our vision for protecting green space,” says Mayor Shirley Fanning-Lasseter. “They’ve been extremely supportive in our efforts over the past several years. It’s exciting to see our plans come into fruition, and to see public and private entities pulling together to create parks and open space that everyone’s going to enjoy for years to come.”

“Mayor Lasseter, the city council, and County Commission Chairman Wayne Hill are to be commended on their enviable river protection efforts,” says Russ Marane, TPL-Georgia state director. “They fully understand the benefit of conserving green space, and have been working to establish a greenway and recreational network along the river within its corporate limits for years. We’re glad to have been able to play a small part in that effort.”