At the August 2023 regular meeting of the Macon County Board of Commissioners, Rita St. Clair, a member of the Friends of the Greenway in Franklin presented a short history of the Little Tennessee Greenway and an update on current and future activities of the organization to the Macon County Board of Commissioners. Below is a video and a transcript of her report to the county commissioners. The transcript was prepared by Macon Media and may contain minor errors. Corrections are welcome and can be sent to editor@MaconMedia.com. Section titles were created by Macon Media.
A Short Oral History of the Little Tennessee River Greenway (August 2023) | Macn Media
The Beginning
I appreciate the opportunity to be able to update you on Friends of the Greenway and also to include how and why we came to be an integral part of the community. Greenway. I'm here tonight representing 268 current members, our board, as well as past board members and hundreds who have been members during the time since FROGs officially began in 2002.
It was the 1990s when a number of outdoor enthusiasts thought that a hiking path along the Little Tennessee River would be a positive addition to our community. And when Duke Energy, then Nantahala Power, and Light, wanted to add their transmission lines along the river, the dream of a path became a real possibility. During those early years, FROG members believed that the Greenway would be something unique and something special to our community, and they were invested in making it a reality. These folks were enthusiastic, committed, and knowledgeable, and they set the tone for all continuing efforts on the Greenway.
Although many community planning meetings took place during the previous three years, on May 31st of 2001, there was another planning group meeting, and one of the items brought to that group by then county manager Sam Greenwood was the request to turn management of the Greenway over to a group calling themselves Friends of the Greenway. This group accepted that responsibility. A proposed agreement of mutual areas of responsibility and authority between the Friends of the Greenway and Macon County was presented to commissioners on March the 11th, 2002, along with the proposed ordinance for the Greenway. The Articles of Incorporation and bylaws were adopted by Friends of the Greenway in April of 2002, it was a busy year, and officers were identified, with Hank Shuler as the first chair. They set a budget, established a website and logo, identified a mission statement, and began looking at the wetlands, the river banks, and the properties associated with the greenway along a six-mile stretch.
Phase One
Members were meeting with Mr. Greenwood regularly to discuss work already in progress, the status of the bridge plans, and reviewing sources of grant funding for continued additions to the Greenway, plus plans for the Grand Opening for Phase One. There were many local citizens who were involved, but three women were primarily responsible for writing the grants that provided the funding to make the Greenway a reality. Barbara McRae, Hank Shuler, and Kathy McGaha. They and many others worked closely with Mr. Greenwood. They were working with millions in funding, most coming from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Funds.
There were many details involved with every aspect of completing the Little Tennessee River Greenway. Citizen groups were responsible for the research and recommendations that then went to Mr. Greenwood. Some of those early committees are listed in your handout, but they included everything from identifying the 80 property owners that were adjacent to the Greenway to researching the playground components, the shelters, the bathrooms, and identifying landscaping and plantings that would be added to the Greenway.
Because so much of the day-to-day development of the Greenway was falling on these committee members, Incorporation was completed and they officially became Friends of the Greenway, "Greenway, Inc", in March of 2002. They did the background work for the ordinance regulating the greenway that was adopted by commissioners on September the 9th of 2002.
FROG members needed a location that was close to the Greenway to examine, make recommendations and monitor every step as the Greenway was taking shape and to begin stewardship as agreed to by the county commissioners. Sam Greenwood agreeing that FROG needed to have a presence near the greenway offered the building at 573 East Main Street and FROG agreed to that offer. It had been empty for several years and was purchased by the county from Duke using North Carolina Parks and Recreation funds on February 3, 2003. Part of the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant that provided funding for Wesley's playground, the Morris Trace Trail, and the Suli Marsh Boardwalk. The airport loop also included the funding for the renovation of what would become FROG Quarters.
Phase Two
The county commissioners had approved the submission of the grant at their January meeting, on January 6th of 2003. Prior to purchasing the property and accepting the grant on August 4th of 2003, the Little Tennessee River Greenway Phase Two project was awarded for the period July 1st 2003 to November 30th of 2005. The renovation of the old Waterwheel Restaurant took place during 2004 and 2005. This was a grant-funded project, so all the decisions made and recommendations for contracts and construction related to the renovation were done by FROG, but with a sign-off by Sam Greenwood. FROG members contributed months of work to the renovation.
FROG Quarters Opened
FROG Quarters opened in September of 2005 as the Visitor Center for the Greenway. Then and now, FROG pays for all the utilities associated with the building and offers free internet for all those who visit. We recently replaced the landscaping surrounding the building to showcase a welcoming natural environment with the bridge, sidewalk, and the path under the town bridges coming out at FROG Quarters parking lot. It's a strategically placed county Greenway Visitor Center. In this location, FROG Quarters became the human face of the Greenway.
During the past 20-plus years, Friends of the Greenway has stayed true to the vision and mission that was crafted in January of 2003. The early vision of the Greenway as a community-developed riverfront park providing recreation, education, and enhancing community life in a natural setting remains strong today. Grounded on the shoulders of area environmental and conservation leaders and visionaries, the Greenway also serves as a catalyst for the protection and appreciation of our natural environment.
FROG's mission was and is to be stewards for the Little Tennessee River Greenway. Today, our current FROG board members reflect that commitment to sustain and promote the Greenway. FROG Quarters sits squarely and strategically aside the Greenway with easy community access and perfect placement for what we do. Current members continue to be stewards of the Greenway contributing skills and hundreds of volunteer hours to this very valuable county asset.
Community Involvement
Although times have changed, we remain committed to community involvement, sharing the history of the land and enhancing the natural playground that we all enjoy. Achievement of many of these goals are directly linked to our presence on the Greenway through the location of FROG Quarters our community home base. Our encouragement of community involvement remains active and vital. As we demonstrated by our coordination of the ordering of memorial tables and benches and the installation on behalf of donors. And we have a list of now a little over 120.
Our support for youth community service projects by the HIGHTS program with cleaning, painting, and plus monitoring of over 50 bird nesting boxes on the Greenway. The Upward Bound program from Southwest Community College with painting and cleaning, and with the Franklin High School track team with Greenway Cleanup.
Bringing attention to the Greenway and sharing all that it offers, FROG is a member of the Chamber, Smoky Mountain House, and the Streets of Franklin Heritage Association. FROG obtained the Greenway listing on the North Carolina Birding Trail, the National Recreation Trail, and as a nationally identified monarch Butterfly waystation in the Kay Coriell Butterfly Garden. FROG has a booth at downtown events to talk about the Greenway and all that it offers. FROG hosts twice a year an arts and crafts show on the drive around FROG Quarters and MainSpring Conservation Trust called FROG Fair. It's a fundraiser for FROG, but more importantly, it offers an outlet for area artists and craftsmen to sell their items. Local individuals and small groups of musicians volunteer to provide music all day, sharing their talent with all who attend. Depending on the year and the weather we have, we've counted 500 to 900 that have attended during each event.
FROG is a member of the Little Free Library Program and is listed on their national website. Our little library is on the porch at FROG Quarters. Our library only offers children's books and nature books for adults. Families at Big Bear Playground follow the trail under the bridges to take books on a regular basis. We encourage mothers and babies and young children who wanted to walk the Greenway but preferred not to walk alone to meet at FROG Quarters before walking the trail together. This is the Mommies and Me group which meets on a regular basis. We have worked with the Appalachian Animal Rescue Center on an adoption day at FROG Quarters, and with Uptown Gallery and Macon County Art Association to sponsor some summer arts programs for children that are held at Big Bear Shelter.
We offer Saturday Midday music at FROG Quarters, providing a venue for area musicians to showcase their talent and provide entertainment for visitors and locals alike. Seasonally, we welcome AT hikers to FROG Quarters.
As a Greenway Visitor Center, conveniently located and now easily accessible on the Green Greenway. We continue to be an information resource about the trail. If using GPS coordinates for the Greenway, 573 East Main Street is the location that's given. We have become a mini chamber offering information on area hiking, canoeing, kayaking, restaurant possibilities, specific types of business requests, and responses to lots of other questions.
Public Safety
The Greenway has its share of safety issues, and we work closely with both the sheriff's office and the Franklin Police Department when we receive calls from citizens. These could be anything from malfunctioning equipment of the playground, reports of vandalism to unlawful activity. When Chief Devin Holland asked if we could assist with a better town police presence in East Franklin, we were glad to assist. They maintain one of their bicycles at FROG Quarters in order to more easily bike the trail. They also have access to the building to hold meetings or for officers to use the building when we're not there. We're pleased to contribute to the town's effort in the safety of the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.
Heritage Projects
Our participation in and initiation of heritage projects allows us to share the history of the land that surrounds the Greenway and FROG Quarters so that it's not forgotten. FROG contributed to the Nikwasi Initiative Comprehensive Plan for the East Franklin Cherokee Cultural Corridor based on our proximity to this project. We look forward to future involvement with this ambitious plan. We participated in the development of the Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Orchard Trail on the Greenway in both clearing and then helping them plant trees.
With Barbara McRae's knowledge of history and Stan Polanski's knowledge of plant identification, FROG established the American Hop Project on the Greenway, sharing the story of Timoxena Siler Sloan's growing of hops along the river and their use in bread making. We supported the Trail of Tears Association's request to update the sign that had deteriorated near the Big Bear shelter. We asked the Cherokee Speakers Council to name the wetlands at Big Bear and they provided the Cherokee name. That means the marshes, literally meaning ground that holds water. We are proud to be able to add that signage soon.
Enhancing the greenway will always be important to FROGs. We design and use a little Tennessee River logo and it is on each of the mile markers.
Friends of the Greenway, along with county Greenway maintenance staff, updated those quarter-mile markers on four and a half miles of the trail, and we're prepared to add more with the trail extension. We added maps, information, and educational signage to the Greenway. Frog received grant funds to build the first dog park at Big Bear Park. Our website, LIttleTennessee.org, has been updated to better reflect all that the Greenway has to offer. And we actively use our Facebook page to promote our activities, but also the Greenway. It regularly reaches around 10,000 Facebook users a month.
The Present and the Future
FROG and the Franklin Bird Club are now completing the Barbara McRae Memorial Viewing Platform, not just to recognize Barbara's contribution to both organizations, but to bring recognition to the natural wonders that can be appreciated in the wetlands. The final step is painting the treated wood, and this will be done by LBJ Job Corps students. We're currently working on signage that identifies some of the birds, insects, and plants that can be found there, and signage that describes the function of wetlands and its importance next to the river. The Macon County Board of Commissioners entrusted Friends of the Greenway with the responsibility to protect, enhance, and sell the importance of this significant county asset to the community and visitors alike.
For the past 21 years, that's exactly what we have continued to do. Our visibility and easy access to the Greenway have kept us on the scene to monitor, offer recommendations, and hear the public comments, both good and bad. With FROG QUARTERS as their base, volunteers have freely given their skills and time in support of this county asset. Many of us cannot imagine the Greenway without the input of Friends of the Greenway.
For 18 years, a small building on the Greenway has housed and nurtured a community of environmental and conservation caregivers, creating a unique place and history in our community that translates to goodwill, benefiting the county on a daily basis.
Thank you.
Rita St. Clair,
Friends of the Greenway
LIttleTennessee.org
573 East Main Street
Franklin, NC
Published at 3.00pm on Wednesday, August 09, 2023
Transcriber: Bobby Coggins
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