Athens, Tennessee
A rails-to-trails conversion project located in South East Tennessee is a terrific example of how successful intergovernmental relations can benefit multiple communities in a region. Located along Highway 307 and running down to Highway 39 in McMinn County, the Eureka Trail is a multi-government, multi-phase project that will connect the City of Athens and the Town of Englewood.
Designed by engineering students from the University of Tennessee, Eureka Trail is situated on top of an historic railroad bed that has been abandoned since 2009. The trail is expected to stretch out to 7 miles once complete. Residents are currently enjoying the 4.6 miles that have already been converted; residents like John and Becky McGrew a couple in their 70s who now cycle the trail a few times a week for better health.
Created by Collaboration
Named for the Eureka Cotton Mill that once operated at the Englewood trail head, the project is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the McMinn County Government, the City of Athens, and the Town of Englewood. The interlocal agreement between the entities establishes a committee for the maintenance, operation, and expansion of the trail.
The project has received funding from the City of Athens and McMinn County, as well as grants and donations from the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Marshall University, Project Diabetes, and the Lyndhurst Foundation, a private non-profit organization based in Chattanooga and facilitated by the local Athens Parks Foundation.
Contributions from the local Kiwanis Club and private citizen donations have also been used to help fund and enhance features on the trail, such as a bridge over a creek, its railings and surfacing on the trail. In all, there are 6 government entities from the federal, state, and local levels involved in making Eureka Trail a success, including both Senators of the State of Tennessee.
Community Benefits
The Eureka Trail is designed to help citizens enjoy walking, running, and bicycling. If the surface is improved to a hard surface, rollerblading and skateboarding will be approved uses as well. Horseback riding is allowed on specific days of the week, subject to the condition of the trail surface.
The trail also features the “Health Triangle,” a convenient half-mile section designed for those with disabilities or who may just be easing into a new exercise routine. Working in conjunction with the State of Tennessee’s Project Diabetes, the Health Triangle includes educational signs on how to stay fit and make better dietary decisions.
Local feedback has been tremendously positive. According to Parks Director Austin Fesmire, initial naysayers of the project have shared that Eureka Trail is a great use of public funds. One local couple recently logged their 500th mile on the trail!
National Recognition
In 2016, the National Coalition of Recreational Trails awarded Eureka Trail with the Recreational Trails Program Achievement Award for Engaging Public-Sector Partners This award was granted for exemplary engagement and garnering of support from public-sector officials including local, state, and federal elected officials.
Meet the Manager
C. Seth Sumner
City Manager
Colquitt, Georgia
The city of Colquitt is a small, rural community located in central Georgia that went from being the ninth poorest congressional district in the United States to an economically thriving tourist destination. How? The city rebranded itself as an art community.
Being receptive and embracing partnerships gave Colquitt the ability to renovate not only its infrastructure but also its identity as a community. In the past, the 2,500 residents relied chiefly on agriculture, but now tourism is also a primary economic agent. Colquitt’s creative approaches to achieve economic success and citizen engagement are worth shining a spotlight on.
The History
Twenty-eight years ago, the agrarian city of Colquitt was in survival mode. As farming became more machine based, unemployment rose and many left the town to find jobs elsewhere. ICMA member and current city manager of Colquitt, Cory Thomas, reveals that the city “realized we had to do something different if we were going to stay alive. We were treading water.” Creating an art industry “began as an idea of how to recreate and rebrand our community.” This mentality led to the development of the Colquitt/Miller Arts Council (CMAC) and Swamp Gravy, Georgia’s Official Folk Life Play.
Thomas explains how the individuals leading Swamp Gravy “gathered stories of their heritage, history, and community to put on the stage.” Swamp Gravy’s mission is to “involve as many people as possible in a theatrical experience that empowers the individual, bonds the community and strengthens the local economy while crossing the boundaries of class, race, economy and social class.”
Every year, the Swamp Gravy cast of more than 100 local volunteers performs in Cotton Hall Theater, an old, renovated cotton warehouse. Swamp Gravy was chosen to perform at the Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. They performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., that same year.
The Impact of Art
Every year, an average of 40,000 people come to Colquitt to watch Swamp Gravy’s performance. A Portland State dissertation entitled “The Narrative Processes in Urban Planning: A Case Study of Swamp Gravy in Colquitt, Georgia” revealed that Swamp Gravy had an impact of $2 million a year on the community. “Swamp Gravy keeps our economy going and brings new people here all the time; it’s part of our identity now,” Thomas explains.
Tourism has had a profound effect on local businesses. Since Cotton Hall Theater is located alongside Colquitt’s shops and restaurants in the downtown square, tourism has become the local merchants’ lifeblood.
Renovations and Attractions Continue
A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Case Study entitled Small Towns, Big Ideas reported that the Colquitt/Miller Arts Council has reinvested more than $1 million in downtown renovations and building projects.
For example, the arts council turned a deteriorating fertilizer distribution facility into a daycare and child center for after-school programs. The arts council also owns and operates a local bed and breakfast, mini-mall, storytelling museum, children’s theater and mural project. Due to the 12 murals painted on old buildings, Georgia’s legislature dedicated Colquitt as Georgia’s first Mural City. The project has helped beautify the city and given another reason for tourists to visit. The 27,000-square-foot Agricultural Icon Mural (pictured to the left) is one of the largest hand-painted murals in the United States.
For 34 years, tourists have also been compelled to visit Colquitt for its National Mayhaw Festival. This one-day event, run by the city’s chamber of commerce, annually attracts 5,000-10,000 people and involves almost 100 local vendors. The Colquitt Miller chamber of commerce is also one of the key partners that work with the Arts Council in promoting Colquitt and capitalizing on the tourism aspect.
Thomas also mentions that one way the local government shows its support for the local art industry is through renovation projects. He reports that they are in the process of turning the old movie theater that ceased operating 50 years ago into a regional multi-use conference/meeting/performance center. Colquitt carries its dedication to renovation and improvement to other aspects of the community as well. The local government has undertaken close to $10 million in capital outlay projects, including a wastewater treatment facility.
When this community is faced with economic adversity, it is active in finding a solution. This initiative was manifested with Swamp Gravy and again when health care was a serious issue and the small hospital came close to closing. Miller County Hospital officials developed a unique plan to create a dialysis outpatient facility to treat patients in Miller and surrounding counties. In 2015, the dialysis center was built, and it became the first facility in South Georgia to provide this type of convenient care for patients. Thomas notes that these efforts “were part of the catalyst that provided some financial stability to the hospital and were the stimulus that created a $10 million expansion.” Today, the hospital employs 500 people and is the largest employer in the city and county, generating $60 million in medical revenues, with a $30 million-a-year payroll for the community.
Passing the Torch
Colquitt has proven that the key to economic success and citizen engagement is a commitment to constant renovation and a devotion to working together. Thomas advises other local governments to:
- Educate yourself: “Make sure you are not ruling something out that can be a golden egg for you,” Thomas emphasizes.
- “Forge those partnerships and embrace them.” Even though Swamp Gravyis not directly affiliated with the local government, leaders still do all they can to support it. When you call city hall, you are greeted with a message that says, “Welcome to Colquitt, Georgia, home of Swamp Gravy.” Thomas signifies that “we feel like even though we are not a direct partner, we are still a partner because what they do not only enhances and increases our quality of life for those who live here, but it keeps our community afloat and moving from a position of just treading water to hopefully being able to thrive.”
Thomas argues that local governments need to transition their perspective about their city’s arts council. “Instead of an arts council being just another organization out there or an organization that maybe works against the core mission of what they have, they’ve got to become partners and work together. I am not talking about financially, we do not give them any financial assistance,” he explains. Swamp Gravy is a “self-sufficient nonprofit organization. We do, however, try to support them in any way we can because it is to the advantage of the whole community. If they go away, our community would be changed forever. Both identity-wise and economically.”
Colquitt is eager to help other communities build a creative community through the arts and other unique perspectives. Building Creative Communities Conference (BC3), launched in 2006, is an annual convergence of community change agents that takes place in Colquitt every February. Local and global changemakers speak about how to build a creative community through the arts and other unique perspectives. BC3 also provides community development workshops and interactive opportunities to help participants gain hands-on skills and deep insights into the Story Bridge process: Story, Performance, Affinity, Collaboration, Engagement.
Meet the Manager
Cory J. Thomas
City Manager
Wheaton, Illinois
Since 2007 upwards of 14,000 households in Wheaton paid for their curbside collection of solid waste and recycling by purchasing “stickers” and attaching them to containers of garbage and yard waste. While stickers were not required for recycling, the cost of collecting and processing recyclables was built into the total sticker price. The lack of clear pricing for recycling led to a general perception that the activity was somewhat profitable for waste haulers and an even greater misconception that recycling collection and processing was a “free” service. While this original pricing structure was successful in encouraging recycling, it was also noted by the waste contractors to lead to greater levels of recycling contamination. Approximately 20% of items placed in recycling containers were considered non-recyclable.
Trends in the waste hauling industry indicated the declining market value of recycled materials that would necessitate increased costs for the collection and processing of these materials. Under the original model, this would translate to increased fees for stickers and perpetuate the misconception that reselling recyclable materials is a profitable enough activity to collect them at no cost.
With the City’s existing waste hauling contract set to expire in 2016, it was clear to staff that a successful program might require the separation of fees for garbage and recycling pickup. Staff, led by then-Assistant City Manager Mike Dzugan, conducted a community survey to assess what factors or features are most important to residents on this issue. Questions focused on existing perceptions and those changes that might be warranted by a new program. Survey items included: the possibility of fees for recycling collection, standardized carts, automatic billing, alternate pricing structures, and additional program features such as organics/food scraps recycling. A total of 2,170 residents responded to the survey. A summary of some key findings:
- While satisfaction with service provision was high for both garbage and recycling collection, there were significantly lower levels of satisfaction with the use of stickers for payment.
- Most respondents agreed with the use of volume-based pricing, or pay-as-you-throw (PAYT), for garbage but not for recycling.
- Most residents disapproved of flat monthly fees for service.
- Many residents indicated support for “free” recycling through the survey’s open comments section. While residents may not fully understand that the price to collect recycling is embedded in the cost of garbage stickers, the survey indicates that many approve of financial incentives to promote recycling.
Information from the survey played an important role in the solicitation of bids for the program and the city’s transition strategy. After several months of research, the contract to collect solid waste in Wheaton was awarded to Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) in August 2016. LRS’ proposal relied far less on stickers, offered multiple payment options to residents, and maintained the community’s preferred pricing structure, PAYT. However, the new program would include separate fees for garbage and recycling pickup. The decision to part from the combined-fee model considered the community’s strong preference toward equitable volume-based pricing, industry trends regarding the sustainability of no-cost recycling pricing structures, and the city’s prior experience with recycling contamination.
Findings from the survey also indicated the community would, to some degree, be dissatisfied with the implementation of recycling fees. In the months leading up to the new program city staff and LRS crafted a multi-pronged outreach strategy to inform and educate residents about the benefits of this new approach. Through websites, email, utility bills, postcards, informational seminars and videos, every opportunity was taken to clarify how recycling costs had been accounted for in the past and how separating these fees may actually reduce total household costs under the new program.
The new program went into effect in October 2016 and thus far LRS’ monthly reports indicate no significant difference in the total amount of recyclables collected from residents.[1] While it was a community concern that the implementation of a recycling fee would inhibit total recycling, no such effect is apparent. Additionally, LRS has expressed no concerns with potential recycling contamination. One of the biggest changes to the program is the use of new waste bins containing an RFID chip rather than the use of stickers. The RFID chip is scanned by the waste hauler at time of pick up and charges residents based on the volume of waste or recycling collected. In addition to the new technology, LRS is also offering a food scraps collection service whereby residents may place organic waste with yard waste. Stickers will still be used on a limited basis for bulk items and yard waste.
While many cities continue to offer or promote a form of “free” or subsidized recycling as part of their general waste removal services, as the cost to process recycling continues to exceed the resale value of collected materials, these policies may soon not be realistic for all communities. In Wheaton, the city focused its attention on the community’s preference for equitable, volume-based pricing. While it was not realistic to maintain no-cost recycling, the city addressed this issue by providing information to residents that would facilitate a more objective comparison between the two programs.
[1] Monthly reporting data from Advanced Disposal and LRS. Comparing the tons of recycled material between January and July of 2016 and January and July of 2017. Analysis indicates <1% increase from 2016-2017.
Meet the Manager
Mike Dzugan
City Manager
