Chattahoochee NRA

Public comment sought for proposed Hyde Farm Corridor Trail

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Hyde Farm
The pond at Hyde Farm, located off Lower Roswell Road near the Chattahoochee River. (ECN File)

Thanks to Morning Washburn, who lives near Hyde Farm, for letting us know that the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is seeking public input on a proposed trail connecting Hyde Farm in East Cobb with the park’s Johnson Ferry North Unit.

The proposal would be a two-mile trail for pedestrians and bike riding, and the planning is in the very early stages: “This trail connection would close a gap to the very popular Silver Comet trail from existing trails,” according to an environmental assessment newsletter sent out by the National Park Service (click here to read).

The project isn’t connected to a Cobb DOT Greenways and Trails Master Plan approved by Cobb commissioners last year that calls for a similar trail, 3.3 miles in length, and at an estimated cost between $4.3 million and $4.7 million.

None of that has been funded and the funding sources and amount for the Chattahoochee NRA proposal are to be determined.

There’s also not an estimated timetable for when the trail might be completed.

Cobb County owns Hyde Farm, which dates back to the 1830s, and the edge of its 95 acres along the Chattahoochee is just a couple miles from the Chattahoochee NRA Gold Branch Unit, which has 2.6 acres of trails accessible via Lower Roswell Road.

The National Park Service is considering alternative proposals for the trail routes (see map below, and click on to newsletter link for bigger map and more details). To offer your feedback, click this link.

The deadline on the document says the deadline for comment is May 2 but that has been extended to May 9.

Hyde Farm Corridor Trail

 

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Chattahoochee NRA services gradually restarting after shutdown

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The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area was affected by the recent U.S. government shutdown, and is almost back at full strength in terms of staffing and services.

The park issued a message Tuesday saying that the Island Ford Visitor Center in Fulton County has reopened, and that some automated machines in the park are being reactivated:Ford Island Visitor Center, Chattahoochee NRA

“It’s great to be open and we’re looking forward to greeting our visitors. Most importantly we want to give a big thanks to all our VIPs (Volunteers In Parks) and visitors that helped keep the park clean during the recent shutdown. That last bit of good news is that all of the restrooms have been reopened.”

The one exception: The restroom facility at the Cochran Shoals Unit Interstate North entrance is closed for unrelated reasons. Water line repairs are being made by Cobb County, but nearby portable toilets are available.

 

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Panhandler still at-large after fleeing Sope Creek trails of Chattahoochee National Recreation Area

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UPDATED REPORT, WEDNESDAY, 10:10 A.M.:

We’ve just heard from Jeffrey Glossop, the chief ranger at the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, who said this morning the panhandler who fled from a pursuit at the Sope Creek trails by his rangers and Cobb Police on Tuesday is still at-largeSope Creek trails, panhandler photo

The park also has released some surveillance photos of the man, who may be homeless and living in the nearby woods.

He’s described as a black male in his early 40s, and is around 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 and weighs around 170 pounds, and has a droopy or lazy eye.

Glossop said the man was last seen wearing a dark t-shirt and spotted or plaid light-colored pants.

“We don’t have any reason to think he’s a threat to anyone,” but if you should see him do not approach him but call 911, Glossop said.

The saga actually began on Monday, when Glossop said his office got a call from a park visitor who said a man was sleeping in the woods in the Sope Creek unit.

He said park rangers responded and found him in a tent, but the man got away.

On Tuesday, he said, they got complaints from park visitors about panhandling by a man who matched the description of the individual they spotted on Monday.

Glossop said that man has an outstanding warrant in Rockdale County, but doesn’t know what for.

The Sope Creek trails are open to the public today; Glossop said only the Paper Mill Road parking lot for access to those trails was closed briefly while Cobb Police units were on the scene assisting with the search.

Glossop said visitors were asked during that time to park in the lot off Columns Drive to access the Sope Creek trails.

The park area is located near Sope Creek Elementary School, which was  “operating on a normal schedule” on Wednesday, according to a Cobb County School District spokesperson.

ORIGINAL REPORT POSTED 5 P.M. TUESDAY, SEPT. 18

The National Park Service was searching for a panhandler who slipped away on Tuesday in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area Cochran Shoals Unit in East Cobb, prompting a closure of the Sope Creek Trails.Chattahoochee River NRA

The Chattahoochee NRA released a public message about the closure around 11 a.m. Tuesday, but didn’t say why.

Sgt. Wayne Delk, a spokesman for Cobb Police, said Cobb Police were called to assist in the search.

He said the individual being sought also has an outstanding warrant in Rockdale County, but he did not know the reason for the warrant.

Delk said the panhandler isn’t considered a threat to the public, and that the NPS is continuing the search.

East Cobb News has left a message with the Chattahoochee NRA and will update with more information.

 

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