City OKs $125K contract to plan trail extension

The Canton City Council has approved a professional services agreement contract not to exceed $125,000 for a consultant to design an 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 Interstate 575.