The City of Red Bank was awarded a Project Diabetes grant from the Tennessee Department of Health for $402,300 to develop a new multi-use trail system on Godsey Ridge.
The Project Diabetes grant is fully funded and does not require matching funds from the city. Over the next three years, the grant will be allocated to the development of multi-use trails, parking areas and connectivity projects on the 19 acres designated for this initiative.
Officials said, "This plan and grant application were driven by the Red Bank city commission’s goals and the adoption of the 2024 Parks & Recreation Master Plan.
The Master Plan identified walking and biking trails, safe routes and diverse recreational amenities as top community priorities. By securing this Project Diabetes grant, the city is advancing those priorities while also supporting commission goals to promote healthy living, expand outdoor recreation and improve connectivity throughout Red Bank."
The city plans to spread the project over three years. Beginning this fiscal year, July 2025–June 2026, trail construction will be the project’s focus and will aim for the completion of the Godsey Ridge Trail system in its entirety, including signs, way-finding kiosks, benches and more trail amenities.
Year two will focus on parking access with the addition of a secondary parking lot aimed at trail users, as well as bringing the current community center parking lot up to ADA code and widening it for easier parking.
The emphasis on year three will be to provide sidewalk & crosswalk with lighted crossing signs from the community center parking lot that will run parallel to the Green trail and connect both trail heads. There will also be sidewalk from Morrison Springs down Tom Weathers Drive, and crosswalks with lighted crossing signs, curb cuts and ramps on existing sidewalks on both sides of Morrison Springs Road from Dayton Boulevard to Tom Weathers Drive to create safe walking, biking and ADA path from Red Bank City Park to Godsey Ridge.
”This investment in Red Bank’s future gives our community safe, accessible places to walk, bike and connect with nature,” said Jeffrey Grabe, director of Parks & Recreation. “The Godsey Ridge Trail system will strengthen wellness for all ages, from children walking safely to the park, to seniors enjoying active outdoor lifestyles. With support from Project Diabetes and partners like the Trust for Public Land, White Oak Bicycle Co-Op and SORBA, we are turning our Parks & Recreation Master Plan vision into reality. These partnerships will bring trail rides, volunteer maintenance days and community-led programming that make this trail system a true resource for everyone in Red Bank.”
The city has also partnered with Trust for Public Land, which in 2024 hired a trail designer to design a trail system with cost estimates to submit with the application for the Project Diabetes grant. The trail design includes three different difficulty levels appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced hikers and mountain bikers.
Earlier this month, TPL was a recipient of the 2025 L.L. Bean Community Awards promoting greater access to the outdoors. TPL’s “Walk With Your Neighbor” award will expand equitable access to nature in Red Bank by training five local Nature Walk instructors – volunteers who will lead "inclusive, community-driven walks that foster connection and wellness."
Officials said, "The Godsey Ridge trail project is more than a set of physical improvements, as it represents a strategic investment in Red Bank’s health, livability and future growth. It creates safe routes for children to walk and bike, offers new opportunities for seniors to stay active and enhances connections between neighborhoods, parks and Red Bank’s middle & high schools. The project also supports economic development by making Red Bank a more attractive destination for outdoor enthusiasts and families."
Red Bank Mayor Stefanie Dalton said that the city had the foresight to purchase this land some 65 or more years ago for the purpose of park recreation opportunities, including “hiking trails, and even an obstacle course, which could be used by the schools for physical education activity" or “where the average citizen will be welcome” (from a local newspaper article entitled “Site in Red Bank to be Developed as 49-acre Park” and dated March 21, 1965).
“Now, over 60 years after first initiating plans for Godsey Ridge, we are finally making good on that development and I couldn’t be more thrilled for our community,” said Mayor Dalton. “Through this investment, our Red Bank neighbors will have expanded access to nature and outdoor recreation in their own backyard, which will only grow our sense of connection and community. And when this project is complete, we welcome the 'average citizen' from all over Hamilton County and beyond to visit Red Bank to enjoy these trails with us."
The Godsey Ridge Trail Design Plan can be found on the City of Red Bank website. For additional information, go to the City’s website or contact Jeffrey Grabe at jgrabe@redbanktn.gov.