Talk:Five Mile Creek Greenways Partnership

The Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership was formalized in 2002 with an intergovernmental agreement.

In 2003, a 16.5 section of the Cane Creek Railroad was railbanked for a regional greenway system, including floodplain parks like those imagined by the Olmstead Brothers plans of 1920's. Jefferson County Commission was the first rail-use proponent.

The City of Tarrant was a leader in conversion of floodplains to recreational use. In 2000, a site on Highway 79 was the subject of a FEMA buyout, due to the devastation of a mobile home park. The land was declared a disaster area and 77 families were relocated. The city converted the 16‐acre mobile home park into Chief "Billy" Hewitt Park. Other cities on the creek followed suit. The City of Birmingham purchased five lots in the Roebuck Park neighborhood in an area of chronic flooding; Fultondale converted three lots to a Children’s Park; and Brookside upgraded 33 acres of flooded home sites into a community greenway.

A private consulting group, provided guidance to the cities through the Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) process to give aid to citizens and remove damaged homes. Lehe Planning first proposed its initial concept at a meeting of community leaders ‐ to connect open space areas acquired through FEMA flood plain acquisition projects within Brookside, Fultondale, and Tarrant.

With the help of FEMA acquistions and the railbanking of a 16.5 section of The Cane Creek Rail in the Five Mile Creek watershed, 10 partners formed an informal group to protect and promote the developing greenway systems in the watershed. In July of 2002, an intergovernmental agreement establishing the Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership was signed. This agreement is supported by the cities of Center Point, Birmingham, Tarrant, Fultondale, Brookside, Graysville, the Jefferson County Commission, the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, the Freshwater Land Trust (then the Black Warrior‐Cahaba River Land Trust) and CAWACO Resource Conservation and Development Council (Cawaco RC&D Council). This agreement is unique in Alabama, promoting collaboration between neighboring municipalities, non-profits and planning organizations. The partnership also had local corporate support through the Alabama Power Service Organization Magic City Chapter and other contributing businesses.

One of the results of the Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership was the development of trail location studies. The studies focused on connecting each municipality with other educational, recreational and transportation features.

In 2006, $450,000 was set aside for greenway corridor studies in the Five Mile Creek watershed in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). In this program the following reports were completed:  Reed‐Harvey Community Greenway – Center Point, Alabama  Brookside Bike‐Hike Trail – Brookside, Alabama  Fultondale Five Mile Creek Corridor Study – Fultondale, Alabama  CSX Abandonment Rails‐to‐Trails

The Partnership produced a Five Mile Creek Trail Location Study in April 2008, which envisioned a network of greenways and water trails (blueways) along Five Mile Creek from its headwaters in Center Point to its confluence with the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River.

In March 2010, the Five Mile Creek Greenway Capital Improvement District (CICD) was formed to acquire and manage the Cane Creek Rail Trail. The members included the original Partnership members of Center Point, Tarrant, Fultondale, Brookside, and Graysville with the addition of Gardendale. The City of Fultondale and the Freshwater Land Trust supported the formation of the group with legal advice. The District adopted by‐laws and elected officials in the spring of 2010.

Since its beginning, the Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership has collectively reviewed opportunities for trails and trail connections throughout the watershed. Four trail location studies were completed in the watershed, which helped to further define the network. The conceptual studies from Center Point, Fultondale, Brookside and Five Mile Creek Rail Trail were added to the 2015 Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) Bicycle ‐ Pedestrian Plan, used to identify projects for future Federal Transportation Program funding. The trails were also added to the Red Rock Ridge and Valley regional trail system.

When determining the location of proposed trails and trail connections, consideration is given to schools, attractions, neighborhoods, waterways, existing parks, recreation areas, and trails. Proposed trails, as designated by the 2015 RPC Bike and Pedestrian Plan, were considered for various uses including bicycles, walking, horseback riding, and other non‐motorized activity. The trail location planning began with maps of existing facilities, including rights‐of‐way and easements for utilities and transportation. Utility lines, such as gas, sewer and power, can provide connections, since maintenance roads are required for each utility. The overlay of existing routes can increase the commuting network as well as the recreational network.

Goals for locating the trails and greenways include:  Enhance connections to schools, libraries, parks, and cultural sites.  Improved air quality by providing travel options and preserving tree cover.  Respond to natural and topographic features of north Jefferson County  Identify trail heads for each neighborhood  Identify trail crossing of roads and waterways.  Identify historical and cultural points of interest to include in future trail development.

In July 2018 the Five Mile Creek District (CICD) purchased the rail corridor from CSX - 16 years after the initial railbanking. The formal opening of the Five Mile Creek Greenway occurred on June 12, 2019 in Gardendale, Alabama.

Thanks to years of regional cooperation, the District was able to purchase 16.5 miles of rail corridor with a federal transportation grant and $373,000 in matching funds raised from local partners. In coming years, the District will pursue construction funding to complete the full 16.5 miles as well as work on additional trail connections to Tarrant and Center Point.

The newest section of trail is now open to the public. Located in Gardendale, the rail-to-trail runs two miles from Jew Hollow Road, crossing Fieldstown Road and continuing to Shady Grove Road where it connects to Fultondale’s Black Creek Park Trail. The trail is flat and partly shaded, made of crushed gravel, and open to pedestrians and cyclists. Motorized vehicles are not permitted. (http://freshwaterlandtrust.org/five-mile-creek-trail-purchase/)