The city of Ringgold is continuing its improvement of the popular Chief Richard Taylor Nature Trail.
City officials are currently working to secure grant funding to convert gravel and dirt portions of the trail to concrete, making the section in question more accessible to visitors with disabilities and parents looking to walk the trail with young children or strollers.
The work will cover a 1,600-linear-foot portion of the trail that runs from the wooden bridge along the path to the point where the trail forks up to Emberson Drive.
"We value everybody in our community being able to use our trail system," said Ringgold Mayor Nick Millwood. "This works toward that goal."
Millwood said the paving will also save the city money on yearly maintenance costs, as the trail is in a floodplain that sees frequent washouts. City Manager Dan Wright said much of the related savings will come from man-hours dedicated to replacing the gravel and making repairs, but added that gravel costs about $500 per load, with several loads typically needed after each flood.
"It can create a maintenance nightmare fairly consistently," Millwood said. "We're looking to mitigate some of that work that we're constantly having to do to repair the trail by putting in a more permanent solution."
While this will be the third section of the nearly 2-mile trail to be concreted, that doesn't mean recreationalists should expect to see the rest of it turned to concrete anytime soon.
"We do see the value in having some natural surfaces that make up part of our trail," Millwood said. " We would certainly, through the grant process, explore [concreting other areas] in the future, but we don't have any solid plans to do that at this point."
To fund the project, the city has applied for a grant through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Land and Water Conservation Fund that would provide up to $100,000 for construction. If awarded the full amount, the city would be required to provide $100,000 as a 50 percent match.
Catoosa County commissioners have also endorsed the grant application by committing to provide labor and equipment, a value appraised at $2,000. Those county resources will go toward grading a parking lot at one of the trail's entrances, which sits near the city's water treatment plant on Depot Street.
The work, included in the estimated $200,000 improvement project, will create a hard-surface handicap parking space near Dragging Canoe Memorial Launch, as well as a concrete sidewalk that connects the space directly to the trail and canoe launch, further increasing accessibility.
"Our elected body values quality-of-life improvement for the people of our city," said Millwood. "We're always exploring ways to improve those parts of what we provide."
Planners will know by March 2019 whether Ringgold was awarded the grant. If not, the city will need to seek another source of funding in order to carry out the project.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com