Groundwork Jacksonville donates initial $180K toward Emerald Trail

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Efforts to create a ring of greenspace around the city's urban core got a boost Monday when Groundwork Jacksonville donated $180,000 toward the project.

The Emerald Trail is a city project that will eventually connect about 30 miles of new and existing trails, greenways and parks that encircle the urban core and link at least 14 historic neighborhoods and downtown to Hogans Creek, McCoys Creek, the S-Line Rail Trail and the Northbank and Southbank riverwalks.

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Groundwork Jacksonville has collected money from business partners toward the first installment of funding to help design the initial phase of the trail in LaVilla and Brooklyn. Construction could start in the fall of 2020.

The group also announced a challenge grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida to help raise funds for the project.

Groundwork’s mission is to build Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail, an idea championed by famed architect Henry Klutho in the early 20th Century.