Cusseta-Chattahoochee County awarded $600,000 SEID grant to begin trail from Fort Benning

County Manager Thomas Weaver told the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County at its Dec. 2 regular meeting that the county has been awarded a $600,000 SEID grant to begin a trail project coming from Fort Benning. He said officials must indicate interest to the grantor before Dec. 4 so planning can move forward and that engineering selection and detailed planning will follow, though the schedule may move slowly.

Weaver said the grant opens options for the alignment and that, if the preferred West Railroad–to–Recreation Center route proves infeasible, the county will pursue a sidewalk from the library to the recreation center that could be incorporated into the SEID-funded work. "This is a huge deal," Weaver said when announcing the award.

At the Dec. 22 work session Weaver reiterated that the county will need to select an engineer through a scoring process; the packet showed three firms with scores (EMC Engineering 45, Moon Meeks & Associates 45, and Ingram & Associates 17). He recommended moving forward with engineering design and told commissioners the SEID process typically takes time to advance from award to construction.

The county has not yet committed to a final alignment or a construction timetable. Weaver said staff will present a recommendation for an engineering firm and the associated scope for a public vote at an upcoming meeting; commissioners signaled they want the engineer recommendation on the Jan. 6 agenda for a formal decision. The project will also require coordination on right-of-way, pedestrian connections, and any utility work needed for a chosen alignment.

Next steps identified by county staff include confirming the grant acceptance with the awarding agency, selecting an engineer via the scoring process described in the packet, and preparing a project schedule and public outreach plan. No formal engineering contract had been awarded at the time of the meeting.