Ticket to Ride event set for March 22
The Firefly Trail will receive $800,000 to begin the preliminary engineering phase of the trail in Oglethorpe County, John Kissane, the trail’s development coordinator, told the Board of Commissioners on Monday night.
The Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program is responsible for $640,000 and the other $160,000 will come from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The award stems from a grant application that was submitted in June 2022, Kissane said.
This award doesn’t include trail construction, and Commission Chair Jay Paul said Monday the county isn’t open to eminent domain.
The specific segments covered under the grant would be a 1.3-mile stretch within Crawford and a 4.5-mile stretch from Maxeys to the Greene County line.
Also, part of the award could “enable design/engineering” of another trail segment, possibly along Smokey Road just outside Crawford. Kissane talked about receiving positive feedback from residents on Smokey Road at the BOC meeting in January.
“It’s a win-win for everybody, I think,” Kissane said Monday. “From our organization, to the county and Crawford.”
Kissane said the “final scope” could expand and the trail could be awarded additional funds under the grant.
There isn’t a timeline for the project.
Ticket to Ride on March 22
The 14th annual Firefly Trail Ticket to Ride, a fundraising bike ride from Athens, through Oglethorpe County and to Union Point, will be held on Saturday, March 22.
Up to 250 riders are expected to participate in the event, which includes starting points at Dudley Park in Athens, the depot in Winterville and Union Theatre in Union Point. Union Point also will host trail-plus-gravel options of 26 and 68 miles, and a Tracks to Trail Firefly Fest with live music, vendors, food trucks and a Kid Zone from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gravel and paved options start at 9 a.m. in Union Point, while riders will start from Winterville and Athens at 10 a.m. On-road support will continue until 4 p.m. south of Maxeys and until 5 p.m. north of Maxeys.
There also are stops with food and drinks in Athens, Winterville, Crawford, Maxeys and Union Point.
Register at BikeReg (bikereg.com/69206). Registration before March 15 is $35 for students, $55 for adults and $45 per person for teams of 5-12 riders. After March 15, including day-of, registration is $40 for students, $60 for adults and $50 per person for teams.