| Name | Alishea |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Hixson |
| Home Address | 1004 Brynewood Park Rd Chattanooga, TN 37415 United States |
| Organization Name | Tennessee River Gorge Trust |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Associate Director |
| Organization Address | 1214 Dartmouth Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405 United States |
| Website | https://www.trgt.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 423-580-8162 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 423-266-0314 |
| Email Address | alisheah@trgt.org |
| Alternate Email Address | rickh@trgt.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | The Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT) is a 501c(3) land trust whose purview encompasses the Tennessee River Gorge (Gorge). The Gorge is the section of river below downtown Chattanooga and upstream of Nickajack Dam. This geologically unique canyon is home to an incredible wilderness that has maintained its wild character thanks to the hard work and insight of our community. Our mission is “to preserve a healthy Tennessee River Gorge as a community treasure for generations.” The benefits of public access to open space are far reaching. It is well recognized that access to outdoor spaces improved mental and physical well-being. Having a space to get outside and explore nature helps to build a happy and healthy community. Additionally, providing means to experience natural areas helps build an environmentally conscious community. These are just some of the reasons why TRGT works to provide our community with opportunities to explore the Tennessee River Gorge. Tennessee River Gorge Trust in partnership in the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and Black Creek have created a master plan for mixed use bike and hiking trails in the Tennessee River Gorge. The trail system will be within the city limits and will contain over 10 miles of high-quality, sustainable trails. The construction will be completed in 3 phases with the first phase incorporating roughly 4 miles of trail. TRGT and IMBA spent 2021 creating a master design plan that was developed with tremendous focus on our community’s input. We involved organizations, special interest groups, and community members to help guide the design process to ensure we were creating a space that our community wants to use. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | As a manager of public lands, there has been a clear takeaway from how the COVID-19 relates to outdoor spaces: our community deeply wants and needs places to experience the natural world and escape the everyday minutia. Our outdoor spaces provide people with the ability to step onto the trail, into the river, or sit at a scenic overlook and simply enjoy the present moment in time. As the pandemic surged, we saw our own surge in numbers of people recreating on our properties. From constantly booked campsites to inundated trails, the use of our properties by the community has skyrocketed and shows no signs of slowing down. According to the American Psychological Association, “spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health and emotional well-being.” These health benefits are more important now than ever amid the current pandemic that takes both a physical and mental toll on our community. We believe that the demand is higher than ever for additional trail systems. This would also alleviate crowding on our current recreation areas. Further, we wish to provide access to the outdoors in parts of the Greater Chattanooga area that are lacking in adequate access to wild lands. This is why we plan to build a multi-use trail system in an area that is currently lacking sufficient access to the Tennessee River Gorge. The recreation area will provide over 10 miles of high quality hiking and biking trail that are accessible for beginner, adaptive, and advanced mountain bikers. The trails will be uniquely designed to allow for beginner riders to progress their skills and select more difficult routes as they feel more comfortable and grow their skills. The trails will be based on a beginner friendly and hiking compatible “green loop” that will serve as the core of the trail system. Our goal is to create a space that is welcoming to all members of community regardless of experience or skills relating to the outdoors. According to surveys conducted by Civic Science, 43% of Americans ages 13+ said they would be doing more outdoor activities due to COVID-19 social distancing rules. These activities included hiking, visiting parks, and water activities. Beyond a space to enjoy the outdoors during social distancing measures, this trail system will provide a space for our community to improve wellness for decades to come. TRGT is excited at the opportunity to provide a safe and accessible space for our community to enjoy our beautiful city and live in the present. |
| Where would your project take place? | The trailheads will be located on River Gorge Drive and Highway 134 |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 829164 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | Tower Community Bank- $50,00 *Grant Ask-$240,125 Black Creek- $40,000 TRGT In-kind-$12,000 IMBA-$15,000 Total: $357,125 |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | TRGT would like the city to fund the remaining construction cost of $472,039. |
| If funded, when would your project start? | September 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 3 years to complete the entire 10 miles of trail. Phase one will be complete by December 2023. |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | The projects success with first be measured by the timeliness of the build out of the trails. Success will also be measured in community involvement during the process. We have already held many community events and meetings to ensure we have designed a space that our community wants to use. Once built, we will use visitation rates, user experience surveys, and public comment forums to assess success. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | TRGT will keep the community updated on the project through our e-newsletter, website, and volunteer events. We would also provide any additional reporting. Ultimately, this space will be built alongside our community and for our community. Therefore, we will continually seek public comment on the trail system to ensure we are managing a resource that meets our community’s outdoor recreation needs. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | We are prouder than ever to provide our community with ways to experience Chattanooga’s cherished Tennessee River Gorge. This trail system will provide physical, mental, and environmental benefits to our community. Chattanooga’s outdoor community is growing tremendously and so is the demand for access to outdoor recreation areas. This trail system has been uniquely designed to fit into the context of the current region’s trail systems. The trail itself is designed to facilitate progression for budding mountain bikers while also providing advanced features that will attract the most seasoned riders. We have also ensured the trail is truly multi-use by containing high quality and scenic hiking and running trails. Overall, this trail system will have something for everyone from family hikers, dog walkers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. The mental benefits of spending time in nature abound and this trail will benefit mental wellbeing by offering an easy to access outdoor space in close proximity to downtown for our entire region. This natural treasure has so much to offer our community and we want to ensure the entire community has the opportunity to experience this important place. We plan to work with our partners to develop programs that will diversity the user groups of outdoor spaces. It is no secret that outdoor recreation has historically lacked diversity, however, intentional and community driven efforts are fixing this disparity. For us, it is imperative that the outdoor users of this space represent the true faces of our community. With the help of the Trust for Public Land, we will work to provide channels for minority groups that have been underrepresented in outdoor recreation to experience this place. Our current plans involve utilizing Outdoor Chattanooga’s instructors, equipment, and transportation along with TRGT staff to help bring diverse groups to the Aetna Mountain Trails. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | We have been lucky to work with such a supportive and engaged community along with a long list of partner organizations including, but not limited to, the Trust for Public Land, SORBA Chattanooga, and Outdoor Chattanooga. We all share a common goal: to create spaces that provide quality outdoor experiences for everyone in our community. We will also look to partner with a variety of community organizations including but not limited to LaPaz and TrailblazUS Outdoors to involve the entire community in the project. We have already completed the planning and design stages of this project. The community played an integral part in this stage. We held multiple community meetings, site visits, and online forums to allow our community to describe their vision for this trail system. |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? |