No moss growing on the Singing River Trail

MOORESVILLE – This spring when you begin attending Trash Pandas’ baseball games, notice those extra wide sidewalk sections just past right field at Toyota Field. You will be walking on the City of Madison’s first contribution to the regional Singing River Trail and its 220-miles of connections and collaborations.

Also, Anna Clem of Athens has been named associate director of the Singing River Trail.

“Anna is making her mark by doubling productivity and showing the region what two people can do when surrounded by so many stakeholders and supporters,” said SRT Executive Director John Kvach about the hire.

In November, the SRT moved into its 4,000 square-foot home in Mooresville. The six-acre site, donated by 1818 Farms and the McCrary family, serves as their trail-wide headquarters. This year, SRT will be using the site for events, an outdoor recreation center, and an upcoming rural innovation and leadership center.

There is a bucket list of expectations for 2023 including a Singing River Trail race, a food event, Strava Routes, running club, and a possible project in Paint Rock Valley.

Although Toyota Field may be just a starting point today, the Madison County Commission is heavily invested in additional Singing River Trail mileage in Madison County. The commission recently completed plans for a two-mile section of the trail connecting the eastside of Huntsville International Airport to Triana.

The project will unfurl in phases, but the airport has already donated thousands of truckloads of recycled asphalt for the project.

Madison is also extending its own trail system to connect to the Singing River Trail for safe crossings at Madison Boulevard and it will also be connected to the airport.

Based loosely on the business reality television show “Shark Tank,” the Trail, in partnership with Launch 2035, Decatur E-Center and Urban Engine, handed out $20,000 to nine winners of the first Singing River Trail Launch Tank last year.

The Launch Tank is open to anyone who wants to open or expand an existing business anywhere in SRT territory. The program is open to entrepreneurs who reside within the eight-county Singing River Trail footprint: Madison, Limestone, Marshall, Morgan, Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale and Lawrence.

“SRT Launch Tank showed the world that outdoor recreation, regional collaboration, and entrepreneurial development work well together,” Kvach said.

The application period closes Feb. 24. Applicants with big ideas, community solutions, and emerging business endeavors should apply here.

Last year, SRT worked with north Alabama lawmakers to find more funding for the trail and, in the process, secured $1 million Transportation Alternative Program grant for Leighton; and a $1 million TAP grant for Gurley to redesign its their downtown districts with the Singing River Trail as their centerpiece.

The Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville awarded SRT a $50,000 grant from the Compass Society to invest in public health in Bridgeport, Scottsboro, and Gurley. They are creating three outdoor exercise, yoga, foodways, birding, and public art parks that challenge people to get outside and moving around.

A section of the Singing River Trail in Scottsboro will eventually become part of the Bynum Park trail system that will connect downtown Scottsboro to Goose Pond Resort.

The first draft of the Decatur to the Shoals Western Master Plan should be released early this year. It has identified opportunities to connect Sheffield and Muscle Shoals to the TVA Reservation.

The Jackson County Master Route Plan should be finished and released to the public late this year.

Decatur has funded a downtown route plan for SRT using elements of the Dr. Bill Simms Trail to begin connecting large sections of the city.

“We are focused on improving the existing greenway that directly connects to the new Decatur/Morgan County Tourism Office along the Tennessee River,” said Kvach.

In Athens, SRT has been drawn into the master plan of its new city park. SRT is trying to connect 3.2 miles of city trail to 11 miles of the Richard Martin Rails to Trails so bikers, hikers, runners, or equestrians can go from Athens to the Tennessee State Line.

Kvach also announced SRT Paddleway systems are coming.

“A paddleway will be a family-friendly way to connect people to the natural environment and create an outdoor recreation economy for some of the small towns across the Singing River Valley,” said Kvach.

“SRT has identified the downtown route with the town of Courtland to a SRT Paddleway landing area on Big Nance Creek. Singing River Trail has already secured the land for the Paddleway.”

Courtland is still looking for funding to help the town connect its town park, public housing, historic neighborhoods, commercial district, and downtown square to the Paddleway.

“We are building Alabama’s outdoor infrastructure, engaging in economic development through quality of life and capacity building, and we are doing what a lot of people talk about, but few do well – regional collaboration,” said Kvach. “Regional collaboration is our secret sauce, and it still tastes good.

“We are building more than a trail,” Kvach said. “We are building a vision for a better Alabama.”