Jefferson County Greenways Commission

The Jefferson County Greenways Commission (JCGC) is a public authority which operates Red Mountain Park, Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve and Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. It is a successor to the former Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission established in 2006.

The original commission was authorized, "to own, preserve, restore, maintain and promote as a greenway, recreational, or historic site the land and relics of the property known as Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area." The commission formally acquired the Red Mountain Park parcel from USX in the summer of 2007.

Per its enabling legislation, the Commission's employees are not considered employees of the state, except that they may participate in employee insurance, pension and/or retirement programs for state employees.

In November 2022 the Jefferson County Commission passed a resolution pledging $2 million from its American Rescue Plan Act funds to support the proposed partnership of Red Mountain Park with Ruffner Mountain and Turkey Creek, contingent on legislative approval of the coalition and their raising of at least $1.6 million in private donations.

House Bill 336 sponsored by Representative Rolanda Hollis to change the name of the body to the Jefferson County Greenways Commission was passed during the 2023 Alabama legislative session. It was signed by Governor Kay Ivey on May 30. Private donors to the coalition included the Jefferson County Health Department, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, EBSCO, the Alabama Power Foundation, and the Goodrich Foundation.

In addition to its pledged ARPA funds, the Jefferson County Commission added an annual $350,000 appropriation to its budget for maintenance and operation of the park properties. The Red Mountain Park Foundation combined their own efforts with the Ruffner Mountain Nature Coalition, which had already combined with the Friends of Turkey Creek, to eliminate duplicative work.

Members

2021

• Armand DeKeyser, Paul DeMarco, Jefferson Traywick, and Mark Waggoner, nominated by Governor of Alabama
• Cameron Vowell and Tom Spencer, nominated by Freshwater Land Trust
• Jennifer Andress and Rosalind Young, nominated by Jefferson County Commission
• Ashley Curry and Gary Richardson, nominated by Jefferson County Mayors' Association
• Evanne Gibson and Cheryl Morgan, nominated by Jefferson County Legislative Delegation
• Crystal Smitherman, nominated by Birmingham City Council
• Jennifer Egbe, nominated by Mayor of Birmingham
• Peter Allsopp (chair), nominated by U.S. Steel

2007

• Steve Jones (president), Dalton Smith, Temple Tutwiler, and Mark Waggoner, nominated by Governor of Alabama
• Fred Keith and Cameron Vowell, nominated by Freshwater Land Trust
• Renee Carter and Rob Fowler, nominated by Jefferson County Commission
• Scotty McCallum and Gary Richardson, nominated by Jefferson County Mayors' Association
• Ervin Batain and Jim Bennett, nominated by Jefferson County Legislative Delegation
• Robert Green, nominated by Birmingham City Council
• Perry Ward, nominated by Mayor of Birmingham
• Tom Howard, nominated by U.S. Steel

References

• Jordan, Phillip (January 11, 2007) "It's not about the money." Birmingham Weekly.
• "What Happened in Montgomery: Uniting Our Greenways." (August 11, 2023) ruffnermountain.org
• Byington, Path (August 18, 2023) "New Jefferson County Greenways Commission created to manage area nature preserves." Bham Now
• Spencer, Tom (October 17, 2023) "New Partnership Marks Stunning Victory for Our Parks." Comeback Town

External links

• Jefferson County Parks Cooperative at Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (cfbham.org)