Push to seek federal grant for trail project fails in Albany City Commission meeting

ALBANY — Seeking a RAISE to pay for a 13-mile walking trail from Albany to Sasser turned out not to be so easy on Friday.

After more than an hour of discussion at a special called meeting in public and another round in a closed session, the Albany City Commission took no action on applying for a federal Rebuilding America with Sustainability and Equity grant.

The closed portion of the meeting was called to discuss aspects of the project that relate to pending litigation.

The city purchased the former rail corridor in 2015 from South Georgia Rail to Trails. SGRT sued the city in August 2020 claiming breach of contract.

The group claims the contract with the purchase required the city to complete the project within five years.

“There was no motion and no vote (on the grant application), just an announcement that litigation was discussed and an adjournment,” Albany City Attorney Nathan Davis said at the end of the closed session.

Commissioners Bob Langstaff and Demetrius Young had requested that the entire session be held in closed session in the event discussion veered into territory related to the lawsuit. Mayor Bo Dorough argued that the meeting should be open as long as possible with the option of closing it if necessary.

“Any discussions about the trail in an open meeting are problematic,” Langstaff said. “I disagree, I think we need to do it from the get-go.”

With Commissioner Vilnis Gaines absent, a motion to close the meeting failed on a 3-3 tie vote.

During the open part of the meeting, Commissioner Chad Warbington cast doubt on the city’s ability to fund the project even with a grant. With a potential cost of $12 million, the city could be looking at funding about half of the total.

Warbington based that on RAISE trail projects funded in Arkansas, Atlanta and Durhan, N.C. In Arkansas, the local match was 41.8 percent on a $20.5 million project, and the local share was 50 percent on the $38.9 million Atlanta Belt Line, he said.

“There is some free money around, but as Commissioner (Jalen) Johnson noted, nothing is free,” Warbington said. “I think we would have a significant financial obligation.”

During questioning from commissioners, city Engineering and Planning Director Bruce Maples said that a $700,000 state grant that has been discussed would provide $700,000 for preliminary engineering.

The city has produced an engineering plan for a paved trail that would stretch from North Monroe Street to Sasser.

Langstaff said he would be interested in examining a “natural trail” that would use paving only in heavily used areas, which would reduce the costs.

“We’re going to have to put our money in and this is going to take four to six years, and a shovel isn’t going to go into the ground for three years,” Johnson said of the proposal. “We have so many other projects we’ve talked about. We don’t even have enough money for speed tables in neighborhoods that have been asking for them for years.

“It’s pretty asinine to ask staff to apply for a grant when we don’t even know if we can afford to maintain it (trail). I get calls every day about speed tables, about paving alleys, about recreation.”

The deadline to apply for the grant is April 14.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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