Clayton Connects Greenway Trail (Atlanta, College Park: 2015, neighborhoods, construction)

[demonta4]

Clayton Connects to bring more exercise opportunities to Clayton County | Clayton News Daily

The Clayton County Department of Parks and Recreation have begun a plan to connect every park in the county through greenspace and walking trails.
Clayton Connects is a joint project between the Clayton County Board of Commissioners and the PATH Foundation. A master plan has already been developed, which establishes the infrastructure vision necessary to begin groundwork on expanding the county’s walking trails.
“The Clayton Connects master plan identifies 112 miles of linear parks and trails that will weave through Clayton County connecting parks, schools, businesses, and neighborhoods,” according to the master plan. “The plan also recommends initial segments of the trail system in each commission district to be built immediately. Building a ‘model mile’ in four locations will help kick start implementation of the entire system. Such a springboard will certainly lead to more non-vehicular commuting, a healthier community, and additional funding for future trail segments.”
Proposed trails in District 1 provide most of the county’s greenway connections east of I-75 and will connect the Village Crossing and Village Park neighborhoods in Ellenwood and within Morrow. District 2 will be the primary connection to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and College Park. It will eventually connect to the Atlanta BeltLine Trail.
For District 3, the “panhandle” area of the county will be the focus, connecting the rural areas into Riverdale, Jonesboro and Lovejoy. Finally, District 4 will provide connectivity to the center of the county, with Jesters Creek Greenway Trail being the linchpin of the development.
Some citizens have been reluctant to get on board with Clayton Connects, due to the idea of their backyards being accessible through the walking trails.
“People will start to see it’s a communal thing,” Parrott said. “People will get on and see their neighbors, maybe somebody you’ve been living nearby for 25 years and have never met.”
Clayton Connects’ biggest asset is the increased health and exercise benefits it will bring to the table. The extension of the county’s parks and trails will create new exercise opportunities for the citizens.
“When we started drawing the master plan, one of Clayton County’s criteria was for the trails to be destination driven, meaning you won’t be just walking to some arbitrary point on a map,” Parrott said.
Clayton Connects will also address greenways in the county such as Jesters Creek Greenway. PATH’s design and construction team developed and proposed significant improvements to keep Jesters Creek Greenway up to par with the rest of the upcoming developments.
These projects will be viewed as separate jobs and will be worked on at different times depending on funding and other issues. But over time, the different district developments will combine to make a unified trail system in Clayton County.
Parrott said he hopes that the residents of the county understand that fact, and that those affected will be included in the trail development.
“When we are doing a project, that project will be a portion of our master plan,” he said. “It will go before the Clayton County Board of Commissioners. If they approve, then we’ll start the design phase. We’re always sure to include the people that are impacted by those projects.”

[GA5mom]

Very cool! We really enjoy the PATH trail in Rockdale that connects from the Monastery over into Panola Mtn. Park. It's beautiful. The PATH people do a great job.

[demonta4]

Here's the master plan
http://claytonparks.com/media/115509...MPfinalweb.pdf