Rockdale awarded $100,000 federal grant to expand recreation trails

Rockdale County has received a $100,000 federal grant from the Recreation Trails Program to build additional miles of shared use trails for mountain biking, hiking and walking.

The trail connects the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Rockdale to the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area in the city of Stonecrest, located in southeast DeKalb County. The trail extends for more than 30 miles, passing many landmarks and picturesque beauty.

Rockdale Board of Commissioners Chairman Oz Nesbitt said the project is the perfect pathway to bridging the community and tourists with beautiful greenspace.

“I’m very excited about this new opportunity to improve the quality of life for Rockdale residents. Additionally, it’s another layer and tool in our arsenal to keep and attract business and industry to Rockdale,” Nesbitt said. “Together, all of these pieces play a big role in moving our county forward.”

Construction is expected to begin this fall and public use will not be impacted because the work will be done in undeveloped areas, said Sue Sanders, director of Recreation and Maintenance. so public use will not be impacted, said

Rockdale was one of 14 counties in Georgia to receive funding by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources under the Federal Highway Administration.

The grant requires an 80/20 match. The 2011 SPLOST, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, the Conyers-Rockdale Bike & Trail Coalition, and the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association Atlanta all contributed to the match of $65,878 for a total project cost of $165,878.

The project is a collaboration with the International Mountain Bicycling Association and the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.