(The following story by Joe Follick and Megan Rolland appeared on The Gainesville Sun website on December 19.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Cabinet approved the $1.7 million purchase of an abandoned railway in downtown Gainesville Tuesday, capping a 10-year effort to revive the corridor and bring more people downtown.
The two-mile long stretch, currently unused railway along 6th Street, may begin its transformation into a landscaped trail that will span from a point just west of NE 4th Street and north of Williston Road to NW 16th Avenue as early as next year.
“The significance of the 6th Street rails to trails is it will provide a transportation alternative to our roadways,” said Gina Hawkins, the spokeswoman for Gainesville public works.
She said they expect the state will relinquish management of the 50-foot-wide corridor, now unused and overgrown in many places, to the city for redevelopment.
Unlike the more rural trails it connects – Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail and the Depot Trail – the West 6th Street trail cuts through the heart of downtown, passing by the Santa Fe Community College downtown campus and halfway between the University of Florida and downtown.
“I view this as an economic asset. It will bring people downtown again,” Hawkins said.
The urban component also creates concerns with the design of the trail.
“It’s quite an undertaking in that we cross several major roadways,” said Emery Swearingen, the city engineer on the project.
“One of our biggest concerns, of course, is user safety. We will look at various alternatives to forewarn traffic and try to make it as safe as we can,” he said.
The Cabinet debate in Tallahassee was short and positive, belying a 10-year struggle that included negotiating not only the costs of purchasing the land from CSX Corp., but also details on contamination and land use around the area.
Original plans called for the trail to stretch from the Hawthorne Trail to NW 23rd Avenue, but an environmental study conducted by the city found contaminated soil and groundwater on the trail near NW 16th Avenue, suspected to be linked to pesticides from the nearby Florida Pest Control.
The state did not buy that part of the trail to avoid becoming financially responsible for any necessary remediation.
The city and state have set aside about $2 million for the restoration of the trail, which will connect with a sprawling network of similar trails in North Florida.
Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan said the Gainesville Police Department was excited about the trail because it runs next to the expanded headquarters. But Hanrahan told the Cabinet that eliminating the railway’s presence was critical for redevelopment efforts.
“The great thing for us is it’s bringing together the university area and the downtown area,” she said.
The only politically dicey moment during the Cabinet meeting came after Gov. Charlie Crist suggested the further lionization of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
“Maybe you should name it Tebow Trail,” Crist suggested.
That led Hanrahan to brag about the Gator and share a story about her husband, saying that “he has only one fault and that’s that he went to Florida State.”
A faux uproar followed, led by Crist, a Seminole alumnus. Still, the deal was completed with little further dissent.