Gadsden City accepts $3 million federal greenway grant; city to provide matching funds

GADSDEN CITY — The Gadsden City Council on Sept. 9 adopted a resolution accepting a $3,000,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Outdoor Legacy Partnership Program grant to build a multiuse greenway that follows an existing rail bed and connects the Mill Village area near Cabin Avenue east to the North Third Street intersection.

The resolution clarifies the city’s commitment to the required local match for the federal grant. During council discussion, staff explained the next steps: the city will issue a request for proposals for design firms, select a firm via an internal committee and proceed to design and construction documents. "Once we get to that state, we'll have designs, we'll have renderings if you wish," a staff member said.

Trail route and design details

Staff described the trail as roughly an 8-foot-wide asphalt path with concrete sidewalks at intersections where sidewalks exist. The route generally follows a rail bed and will intersect the Black Creek trail system and run between Tuscaloosa Avenue and Mahan Boulevard (described in the hearing as the parallel corridor). The plan calls for two trailheads, overlook and rest areas, and pedestrian-level lighting.

Safety features discussed include high-resolution cameras, emergency call stations similar to those used on college campuses, and additional patrols by officers on bikes and e-bikes. "There'll be stations that have security cameras … and an ability to call police if you feel unsafe at any time," the staff member said.

Funding and local match

Council discussion clarified that the grant award is $3,000,000 from the federal program administered through the National Park Service and that the city must provide a local match of approximately $3,000,000 (amounts in the staff discussion referenced a precise match figure submitted in grant documents). The staff member said the resolution was a clarification requested by the granting agencies to confirm the city’s awareness of and commitment to the local match requirement.

Why it matters: the greenway is intended to expand active-transportation options, link neighborhoods to city destinations and form part of the broader Gadsden Greenway network. Council members called the grant a significant achievement.

What’s next

Staff will issue an RFP for design firms, convene an internal selection committee, and — if the council requests — produce renderings before moving to construction documents. The resolution was adopted by voice vote with no recorded roll-call tally in the transcript.