First link of Emerald Trail now open in LaVilla
Jacksonville’s dream of the Emerald Trail is one step closer to reality as the community celebrated the opening of its LaVilla Link at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, May 6.
City officials, community stakeholders and residents attended the ceremony, which included speakers Mayor Donna Deegan, City Council President Ron Salem, Groundwork Jacksonville CEO Kay Ehas, Baptist Health CEO and President Michael Mayo and Groundwork Jacksonville Board Chair Kerri Stewart.
This 1.3-mile link connects the Brooklyn neighborhood to LaVilla and the existing S-line via a vibrant, emerald-colored trail. Ehas explained that this particular link is a testament to how impactful community voices can be on projects such as this, since LaVilla was not included in the first draft for the Emerald Trail and now, she said during the ceremony, “We can’t imagine the Emerald Trail without the LaVilla Link; that would have been a major, major miss.”
Following the ceremony, she said the LaVilla link is “proof” that ensuring those community voices are involved and have a place at the decision-making table was the right decision.
“You’re always going to have a better end product, the more people at the table, especially the people that live here,” she said.
Residents will continue to see work done on this trail segment as enhancements are added, including public art, educational and directional signage, a shade structure on the Park Street overlook and the “hundreds of trees and native plants” Ehas said have been added along the trail.
The opening of this first link was a decade in the making, spanning three mayoral administrations: Alvin Brown, Lenny Curry and Donna Deegan.
In her address, Deegan called the Emerald Trail “a shining jewel” for Jacksonville. The now-active LaVilla link, she added, will allow residents to visualize the 34-mile trail in its entirety.
“Picture a stunning greenbelt that features native plants, living shorelines and rain gardens, not to mention public art installations that celebrate each neighborhood’s rich history and culture,” she said. “With one fell swoop, the completed Emerald Trail will spur economic activity; it will beautify our city; it will give people an easy way to get outdoors and exercise, foster new connections and help to reduce carbon, stormwater runoff and heat island effects.”
Following the press conference, guests enjoyed a trolley tour of the LaVilla link while other pedestrians and cyclists immediately headed down the trail. Members of the North Florida Bicycle Club (NFBC) came to watch the festivities and check out the new link.
Mary Glackin, a general director with NFBC, said this was “a huge step” for cyclist safety.
“[NFBC] is really dedicated to safety, biking safely. So this is a huge step in that, particularly for social riders,” she said.
As more links are constructed and come online for the community to utilize, Glackin hopes this amenity will encourage more people to get out and be active while drawing more people to the city.
“I think that’s exactly what we’re looking for, and [it’s] making Jacksonville more attractive overall for people to come into the city and participate in activities,” she said.
Once completed, the Emerald Trail will connect 21 parks, 16 schools, 14 urban neighborhoods, three hospitals, two colleges and the JTA Regional Transportation Center.
