ATLANTA – State Representative Trey Rhodes (R-Greensboro) today announced that the Firefly Trail will receive $100,000 in grant funding from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources through the Federal Recreational Trails Program.
“This is great news for the citizens of Clarke, Greene, and Oglethorpe counties,” said Rep. Rhodes. “The proposed Firefly Trail would be 39 miles of rail-trail connecting three counties, seven cities and thousands of citizens, and with this funding we are one step closer to providing a quality trail experience for our communities. Thank you to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for investing in this important initiative to promote economic development in our area and to enrich the lives of our citizens.”
The Federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a highly competitive grant program which provides funding for trail construction, trail maintenance and trail education. The Georgia RTP, which is funded through the Federal Highway Administration and administered at the state level, provides and maintains recreational trails and trail-related facilities identified in the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP).
“DNR is excited to award this grant money for the Firefly Trail,” said DNR Commissioner, Mark Williams. “We hope you will help us in congratulating Oglethorpe County for their efforts to provide quality recreational trail experiences for the citizens of Georgia.”
The Firefly Trail is a planned 39-mile rail-trail from Athens to Union Point in Northeast Georgia. The historic rail line, known as the Athens Branch of the Georgia Railroad, branched off the still-active Augusta-to-Atlanta line in Union Point and passed through the towns of Woodville, Maxeys, Stephens, Crawford, Arnoldsville and Winterville on its way to Athens.
For more information about the Firefly Trail, please click here.
Representative Trey Rhodes represents the citizens of District 120, which includes Greene, Oglethorpe, and Taliaferro counties, and portions of Putnam and Wilkes counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2015, and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Economic Development & Tourism, and Special Rules committees.
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