Canton OKs $125K contract to plan trail extension

Canton has approved a $125,000 contract with Hayes, James & Associates Inc. to plan an extension of the Etowah River Trail from Etowah River Park (left in aerial photo), along a railroad and under I-575, to a 45-acre parcel behind Governors Walk. GOOGLE MAPS

Canton has approved a $125,000 contract with Hayes, James & Associates Inc. to plan an extension of the Etowah River Trail from Etowah River Park (left in aerial photo), along a railroad and under I-575, to a 45-acre parcel behind Governors Walk. GOOGLE MAPS

The Canton City Council has approved a professional services agreement contract not to exceed $125,000 for a consultant to design a eastward extension of the Etowah River Trail.

Hayes, James & Associates Inc. of Norcross will prepare construction documents, plans and permitting for the trail, to be extended from its present terminus – a cul-de-sac east of the amphitheater at Etowah River Park – to a 45-acre tract behind Governors Walk, according to a memo to the council from City Manager Billy Peppers.

An application is to be made this month for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant of up to $100,000 for the project, Peppers said.

In a letter to the city detailing its services, Hayes, James also said it would work with such entities as the Army Corps of Engineers to obtain permit approval; Patriot Railroad to use part of its rail corridor for the trail; and the Georgia Department of Transportation to cross under I-575.