Alabama’s Jefferson County creating a more coordinated and connected system of parks, trails, greenspaces
A new Jefferson County Greenways Commission, and plans for a 36-mile trail loop, are evidence of greater cooperation.
Multiple initiatives to support and expand Jefferson County’s greenway network are moving forward as leaders recognize the importance of parks, greenspaces and natural preserves to support economic development, good health and overall quality of life.
Last month, Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation, supported by the Jefferson County delegation, establishing the Jefferson County Greenways Commission. The commission will oversee the maintenance and day-to-day operations at three of the county’s premier greenspaces: Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, Red Mountain Park and Ruffner Mountain.
And just this week, the mayors of Birmingham, Fairfield, Homewood and Irondale, and Jefferson County’s health officer, joined with leaders of the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust to formally unveil a long-term plan to create a 36-mile trail loop linking the communities and major parks and preserves, including Railroad Park, Red Mountain Park and Ruffner Mountain.
It’s the next phase of the ongoing expansion of the Red Rock Trail System in Jefferson County, which already boasts nearly 130 miles of trails and pedestrian-friendly pathways.
The 36-mile loop would add another 19 miles of trails and paths to the Red Rock Trail System, which ultimately envisions 750 miles of shared-use greenways and trails and street-based bicycle and pedestrian paths, including sidewalks. The goal: to have a trail or greenspace within one mile of every Jefferson County resident.
Land Trust officials estimate the existing network is already drawing more than 2.5 million visitors annually. The 36-mile loop, once completed, would generate an annual economic impact of $23.5 million. The project itself is expected to take up to 15 years to complete and cost an estimated $40 million. About one-third of project costs have already been secured, Land Trust officials said.
Meanwhile, other projects that tie into the loop plan are already happening. For example, in June, Birmingham was awarded a $21 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that includes construction of an urban trail connecting downtown civil rights sites and City Walk BHAM with the historic neighborhood of Smithfield, where Black citizens were terrorized in the 1950s and 1960s by bombings instigated by the Ku Klux Klan. The bombings, designed to scare off Blacks from moving into historic white neighborhoods, inspired the infamous nickname for the area: “Dynamite Hill,” and a notorious moniker for the city: “Bombingham.” The announcement of the grant came 60 years after the city officially dismantled its Jim Crow segregation laws.
Amid all the developments related to Jefferson County parks, trails and greenways, the creation of the Jefferson County Greenways Commission is arguably the most significant. Unlike many urban counties across the country, Jefferson County does not have a formalized park and recreation department or park system.
“The creation of the Jefferson County Greenways Commission marks a major shift in how Jefferson County cares for its parks,” said Roald Hazelhoff, director of the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham-Southern College, which for many years oversaw operations at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. Last April, Ruffner Mountain assumed management of Turkey Creek, a step toward closer coordination among the county’s larger parks and greenspaces.
“Visitors expect and deserve a quality, consistent experience at greenspaces countywide,” said T.C. McLemore, public affairs manager at Peritus Public Relations and former director of the Red Mountain Park Foundation.
Under the greenways commission, Red Mountain, Ruffner Mountain and Turkey Creek will more closely integrate everything from maintenance to fundraising to educational programming and events.
“Through centralized operations, leveraging shared staff, equipment, expertise and resources, we are poised to enhance efficiency and deliver an improved visitor experience,” McLemore said.
Carlee Sanford, executive director of Ruffner Mountain and now Turkey Creek, and interim director of the Red Mountain Park Foundation, said: “Our parks, preserves, greenways and connected trail systems play a vital role in benefiting residents across the entirety of Jefferson County. The greenways commission signifies an exciting opportunity to add more of these spaces in the times ahead.
“This is just the beginning of what we can achieve when we unite in pursuit of a common goal,” Sanford added. “I am thrilled about what the future holds.”
Dr. Mark Wilson, Jefferson County Health Officer, underscored the multiple benefits that parks and trails and greenspaces provide. The Jefferson County Health Department has been a longtime supporter of the Red Rock Trail System.
He said the county’s growing network of greenspaces are not only bringing a diversity of people together, “they are helping our community get healthier” by encouraging folks to get outdoors and exercise. That’s on top of the economic development and greater neighborhood vibrancy that has followed where trails and parks have opened. A prime example: the dramatic amount of redevelopment and investment in the area of downtown Birmingham now known as Parkside, where Railroad Park is located.
Alabama Power and the Alabama Power Foundation are longtime supporters of park and greenspace expansion in Jefferson County and elsewhere in the state as a driver for economic development and improved quality of life.
State officials, too, have recognized the importance of the state’s natural resources and recreational assets to drive economic growth and draw innovative companies and entrepreneurs to Alabama.
Late last year, Innovate Alabama, the state’s public-private partnership focused on building an innovation economy in the state, established the Council on Outdoor Recreation to advise the Innovate Alabama board on strategies to achieve three primary goals: expand Alabama’s outdoor recreation industry; enhance the state’s attractiveness for a skilled workforce; and yield substantial returns for rural and urban communities, for the enjoyment of current and future Alabamians.
The move follows a report produced by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University for the Alabama Innovation Commission that listed, among its findings, the importance of further developing the state’s outdoor and recreational attractions and related businesses – from parks, trails and other greenspaces, to canoe put-ins, outdoor outfitters and travel and tour guide companies – to draw not only tourists, but entrepreneurs and startup companies whose employees want access to natural resources and recreational amenities.
Alabama voters statewide have strongly expressed their support for parks and land preservation and conservation. Last year, voters overwhelmingly approved an $85 million bond issue to fund improvements at Alabama State Parks and sites managed by the Alabama Historical Commission. In 2012, voters overwhelmingly approved reauthorization of the state’s Forever Wild land conservation program for another 20 years. Alabama Power has been a longtime supporter of Forever Wild.
To learn more about Alabama Power’s environmental stewardship efforts, click here.