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AlphaLoop Foundation reports fundraising wins, new wayfinding and 12 dedicated parking spaces at Northwinds
Summary
The AlphaLoop Foundation told the Development Authority that it raised more than $56,000 since launching its website and has negotiated 12 dedicated parking spaces and signage at the Northwinds office park to improve access to the new Northwind section of the AlphaLoop trail.
Karen Richard, a member of the AlphaLoop Foundation board, briefed the Development Authority of the City of Alpharetta on April 1 about the foundation’s community outreach, fundraising and recent improvements along the AlphaLoop trail.
Richard said the foundation was formed four years ago and that the board partnered with the city under an arrangement in which the city agreed to match foundation funds up to $2,000,000 at the time the foundation formed. The foundation launched its website in September 2023 and has used community events to raise money and awareness. “Between the launch of the website and the end of last year, we held 27 events, and we raised over $56,000 in donations for the AlphaLoop Foundation,” Richard said.
The foundation reported several recent, tangible improvements along the trail and in its outreach: a newly erected AlphaLoop logo sculpture in the Lakeview development; newly painted stamped-concrete crosswalks; and an added dynamic Google map on the foundation website to improve wayfinding. Richard said the completed four-mile section links neighborhoods and that there are approximately 15,000 jobs within a quarter mile of that section.
To address parking concerns on the recently opened Northwind section — a roughly one-mile stretch opened June 1, 2024 — the foundation negotiated with Northwinds office park management to dedicate 12 parking spaces to trail users. The property manager is funding the sign package, Richard said, and the 12 spaces (split between two addresses) will be marked as AlphaLoop parking with a four-hour limit.
Richard described the foundation’s volunteer program and schedule of events: farmers-market outreach on the second Saturday of each month; a sip-and-stroll event at Village Tavern on April 24; and corporate fundraising efforts beginning in the second quarter of 2025. She said the foundation has 11 board members and about 75 people who have indicated interest in volunteering; 17 volunteers completed training last year.
Looking ahead, Richard highlighted several city-funded projects meant to expand connections — including a planned Northpointe AlphaLink to connect Haines Bridge to Northpointe and link the AlphaLoop to the Big Creek Greenway. She said the city has allocated design and construction funding for interlink projects and that the Northpointe component’s funding totaled more than $10,000,000 and will be multiyear.
When asked about maintenance, Richard said trail maintenance and trash pickup are the City of Alpharetta’s responsibility through Parks & Recreation staff, but that the foundation intends to organize volunteer clean-up events as part of its long-term planning.
Richard closed by inviting authority members to foundation events and asking them to help spread the word and corporate connections; she also thanked Charlotte, the city’s economic development liaison, for her support.
