The Stringer's Ridge pledge

Purchase of the commanding and lovely 92-acre section of Stringer's Ridge that frames North Chattanooga and the north rim of downtown came as the result of a rare opportunity to save the forested Civil War landmark from development. Amid controversy over proposed high-rise condominiums, the owner agreed to sell the valuable land for use as a public park. The deal hinged on the aid of countless private donors, the Benwood and Lyndhurst foundations, and a clear commitment from city officials to partner in the $2.5 million purchase.

Now, city officials, in the vise of a tight budget and competing demands, face a crucial decision: Will they find a way to honor the second of two installment payments on their $500,000 commitment? Or will they renege on their promise and force the Trust for Public Land, the sponsor of the initiative to save the scenic ridge, to try to sell a prime piece of the property to developers to salvage the purchase of the rest of the land?

The Trust for Public Land, which has long guided the city's popular greenway projects, has already raised $1.7 million of its $2 million share from private donors and foundation gifts. Mayor Ron Littlefield and the City Council agreed, in an October 2008 resolution, to fund a $500,000 share of the purchase through a $150,000 payment last year and a $350,000 installment this year.

It is essential that the city meet its commitment. The local TPL office was able to secure the land in the interim by borrowing $500,000 from the Trust for Public Land's national office as an advance on the city's payment. The TPL's national office, a valuable nonprofit partner in the city's rejuvenation for the past 20 years, committed to that loan on the strength of the City Council's 2008 resolution. That money must be repaid.

It would be unfair to leave the national TPL office on the hook and to disrupt its own financial planning. Doing so also would mar the city's reputation among the network of private donors and foundations that have vastly aided the city's revival. Local citizens who have contributed to the effort would also feel short-changed.

City leaders shouldn't stoop to the point, as one official argued, that its clear promise does not rise to the level of a signed-and-sealed legal contract. That would just further hurt the city by undermining its vital partnerships.

Indeed, the issue need not become adversarial. The city's budget admittedly is tight, as are municipal and state budgets around the country. The financial implosion of the past year has knocked gaping holes in business, government and household budgets across the board. A renegotiation of the balance of the pledge -- say, $175,000 over each of the next two years -- might prove acceptable and would be imminently more fair.

There is certainly ample reason to help finish the purchase of Stringer's Ridge. The highest points contain Civil War earthworks for cannons that raged in the battles over Chattanooga. Its ridge line affords views on clear days over and beyond downtown to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the east, and to the mouth of the Tennessee River Gorge in the west.

Its miles of wooded trails promise solitude and beauty, recreation and discovery, to walkers and bicyclists for generations to come. The scenic ridge may yet be an undiscovered treasure for those who have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy its impressive ridge-top vistas and quiet spaces, but it will surely become a destination for our community in short order when it is opened as a park.

The goal now should be to secure the purchase and the cooperation of the city's partners. The reward will elevate us all.