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Trail master plan progress and public concerns: Hog Mountain work draws complaints; board discusses next trail priorities
Summary
Staff briefed commissioners on construction of a 2.08-mile Hog Mountain trail segment and sought direction on priorities for remaining trail segments amid negative public feedback.
Staff updated the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on the trail master plan and current construction on the Hog Mountain (Fox Mountain) segment and asked the board to prioritize remaining segments.
Staff said the county adopted a trail master plan in 2023 and identified three priority areas: a large connecting network trail (the current focus), a rail-trail connection to neighboring counties, and river access ("blue trails") for kayaks and river access points. The first leg currently under construction is a 2.08-mile segment along Fox Mountain (Hog Mountain), tying U.S. 441 to Rocky Branch and connecting parks and nodes such as Dawson Park and Malcolm Bridge.
Staff acknowledged substantial negative feedback about the Hog Mountain work, describing intermittent traffic delays and public complaints that the segment looks like a "sidewalk to nowhere." Commissioners and staff discussed whether future segments should prioritize connectivity to neighborhoods and schools rather than continuing isolated segments. One commissioner suggested the next segment should connect Dawson Park to Oconee High School to form a larger loop and provide direct neighborhood access: "I would like for us to reconsider, the next segment, to where it's actually connecting and be a circle," a commissioner said.
Financing and local options: staff noted the project under construction is a non-motorized pedestrian and bicycle path and said there is an existing legal option for neighborhoods to fund improvements through special taxing districts (staff said county ordinance already accommodates public improvements such as sidewalks when neighborhoods set up special tax districts). "If they want sidewalks, they could set up a special tax district," staff said.
Next steps: staff asked whether to continue programming the remaining un-funded segments (the county currently has no additional funding appropriated for later legs) or pause future work. Commissioners asked staff to consider neighborhood connectivity and to return with priorities and cost estimates for the next segment(s). No formal vote was taken.
Votes at a glance: No formal votes were recorded for this agenda item.
