A $6 million greenway is envisioned along Chattanooga Creek - once that heavily polluted creek in South Chattanooga is cleaned up.
A report by the Trust For Public Land calls for development of a linear park and greenway from behind Howard School of Academics and Technology to Hamill Road.
The Environmental Protection Agency has already carried out Phase 1 of the creek cleanup, and last month it held a hearing for Phase II.
The first phase of the greenway plan includes three miles of asphalt trail $600,000), a mile of boardwalk $1.6 million), five bridges ($1 million), a tunnel under railroad tracks $430,000), a parking area and trailhead ($25,000) and four gates and a trailhead $100,000).
TPL said the value of the haul road EPA will build along the creek during the cleanup "should substantially decrease the costs listed above."
Phase two would provide "the amenities and unique features of the greenway."
These would include two observation platforms ($362,000), a music venue/amphitheater ($500,000), a parking area ($25,000) and two canoe launch ramps ($41,000).
A third phase would create secondary trails that would link to the neighborhoods and extend the greenway.
There would be 2.6 miles of asphalt secondary trails at a cost of $402,500. There would be an additional two miles of concrete secondary trails ($483,000), two pedestrian bridges ($400,000), improvements to an existing bridge ($46,000), and two rest areas $45,000).
Total project cost was put at $6,059,600.
Interesting features of the Chattanooga Creek Greenway would include a tree top "aerial boardwalk" that connects the high ground of the proposed recreation area behind Franklin Middle School to the floodplain of the creek. An amphitheater would be alongside the recreation area.
The northern section of the greenway would be ohn the east side of Chattanooga Creek, but the southern half could have three or more bridges across the creek. Officials said, "This would enable the trail to connect more easily to the most densely populated neighborhood areas."
Six neighborhood access points are proposed: Wilson and Hamill roads, 42nd and Polk streets, 38th Street, 37th Street at Franklin Middle School, 33rd Street in Clifton Hills, and at Howard School for the Southside Gardens community.
Officials said during the Phase II cleanup of the creek, the EPA can construct haul roads for their trucks "in a way that helps development of the future greenway."
They said some parcels of land along the creek are already in public ownership "or in the hands of friendly landowners who support the idea of a greenway."
They said bridges can be built across the creek "where sewer lines are located, concealing these unsightly pipes."
At public hearings on the greenway, residents said they want a trail suitable for walking, running and bike riding, parking, benches, picnic tables and covered pavilions, bridges at strategic places to take the trail across the creek, an outdoor amphitheater or music venue, a playground, bike racks and ramps for launching canoes.
The report says, "Implementation of the greenway plan for Chattanooga Creek will require patience on the part of the community and the agencies responsible for future actions. There are several complicated steps needed to realize the plan. Some of the steps could take 2-4 years to work through, but some of the steps could also happen concurrently."
They said key items are completion of the EPA cleanup, completion of the TDEC investigation of the Hamill Road dump and remediation, acquisition of funding to assess and possibly remediate the floodplain around the proposed path of the greenway from 38th Street to Dobbs Branch, assessment of other areas of the floodplain for possible contamination, approval of TDEC to proceed with the greenway, acquisition of additional land, and construction of the greenway.
The EPA cleanup is expected to be borne by the federal government and/or responsible parties, and cleanup of the Hamill Road dump will probably be paid by past or future owners.
Funding to assess the floodplain is expected to come from federal brownfield grants.
Acquistion costs are put at $50,000 and expected to take up to three years. The land would be transferred to the city of Chattanooga.
Construction of the greenway would take about a year.
TPL said the project may be a candidate for funding from Transportation Equity Funds.
TPL officials said, "EPA intends to cleanup only the bottom and the banks of the creek itself. The cleanup will exclude all the land next to and along the creek - essentially excluding from cleanup the area where the greenway would lie."
It was also noted that a large tract of the Phase 1 cleanup area between Hamill Road and 38th Street is also a state superfund site. Any cleanup at this site must satisfy TDEC standards before development of a park.
TPL also said more land needs to be acquired along the greenway route to connect it from north to south.
The study also dealt with the Chattanooga Coke site, saying TDEC is currently negotiating with a former owner to clean up the propery.
It is projected to be redeveloped for industrial use.