Take a hike: Duck River recreation area gaining wide attention

David Palmer • Jun 27, 2019

The Duck River Reservoir’s value as a water source will be appreciated many months from now, but the 21 miles of recreational trails and fishing are already delighting both local users and visitors.

Officially named the Tim Scott Recreational Trail, in less than a year it has gained national recognition by the Coalition of Recreational Trails (CRT), which was reported at Monday’s Cullman City Council meeting.


Suited for hikers and cyclists, groups are arriving for short and long hikes as well as trail rides at the recreational area off U.S. 278 East.


“I think we’re already seeing economic benefits for the community because people are coming from out of town. The words is spreading that it’s worth the drive in to take advantage of it,” said Susan Eller, special projects coordinator for the Cullman Economic Development Agency.


Duck River trail map

CEDA

A Facebook page — Duck River Hike & Bike Trail Head — has already emerged with positive reviews for the trails and scenery for those who enjoy walking or riding bicycles.


“We’re seeing people posting pictures on Facebook just about daily of the fish they’ve caught, or of groups riding the trails. The bike groups are spreading the word well because this is 21 miles of trails and that has a lot of appeal to those groups,” Eller said. “This was a local project and the permit for the reservoir included recreation. A lot of agencies and individuals played a role along the way in making this possible. It can be another driving force in tourism with what we are seeing now.”


Cullman civil engineering firm St. John & Associates designed the recreation system for Duck River, working off the natural landscape.


“The area was already beautiful and that gave us something nice to work with. The trails are all very nice,” said Bill St. John of the engineering firm. “The area below the dam is particularly appealing, which is part of the natural ravine.”


St. John, who has hiked on the trail, said plenty of wildlife is in the area, including a variety of birds.


“I think anyone who enjoys birding may find it interesting,” St. John said. “One thing to remember is there are no shortcuts off the trails. So you have to plan on the fitness level and how far you want to go.”


The fishing includes largemouth and spotted bass, bream and crappie. All bass are catch-and-release, while bream of any size are limited to 20 to keep. Crappie must be a minimum of 9 inches in length and have a limit of 30, Eller said.


Duck River also has piers, restrooms and a handicap accessible area.


Fishing at Duck River requires a license that can be obtained by visiting https://cullmanal.gov/


The area is opening daily from dawn until dusk.


Tim Scott Recreation Trails at the Duck River Recreation Area won in the category of Engaging Public-Sector Partners. The follow individuals and agencies collaborated on creating the recreational area:


— Utilities Board of the City of Cullman


— Cullman City Council


— Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism


— Cullman County Commission / Cullman County Economic Development Office


State Delegation


— Rep. Corey Harbison


— Rep. Randall Shedd


— Former Sen. Paul Bussman / Sen. Garlan Gudger


— Alabama Department of Community & Economic Affairs (ADECA)


— Recreational Trails Program (RTP)


Federal Delegation


· Rep Robert Aderholt


· Former Sen. Jeff Sessions / Sen. Doug Jones


· Sen. Richard Shelby


Other entities


— St. John & Associates – Designed trails and assisted with grant applications


— FlowMotion Trail Builders / Preston York – Trail Builder


— Rob Werner w/ Werner’s Trading Company – assisted with public clean up day of trails


David Palmer may be contacted at 256-734-2131, ext. 116

Garden City moves forward with plans to extend water system into Blount County

By Patrick Camp • 17 Apr, 2024
GARDEN CITY, AL —The Town of Garden City’s long-awaited plan to upgrade and extend its water system into Blount County is closer to fruition with the town securing more than $1 million in federal grant money to fund the project. Mayor Tim Eskew said the town has been working toward extending the water system across the Mulberry River for several years. On Monday, April 15, the town entered into a contract with St. John and Associates to design and engineer the project. The Garden City Volunteer Fire Department already provides service to a small portion of Blount County, but the lack of an adequate water supply on the other side of the county line made that task more difficult. “Right now, they don’t have any fire hydrants over there and this will give us at least two,” he said. St. John and Associates engineer David Haynes said current plans for the project would upgrade the existing water system and extend the service nearly a half-mile across the river and is estimated to cost roughly $1.2 million. The town had previously received notice from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management that it had been awarded $657,860 in unspent American Rescue Plan Act funds available for eligible programs which improve drinking water and sewer infrastructure throughout the state. Congressman Robert Aderholt’s (R-Alabama) office informed the town in January it would be receiving the additional funds in the form of a $520,000 State and Tribal Assistance Grant, administered through the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant was included in the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act which Aderholt voted against. An estimated start date was not available, but all ARPA funds are required to be expended no later than December 31, 2026. A public hearing to allow residents to weigh in on the project is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., May 20, at Garden City Town Hall.

Cullman City Council moves forward on relocation of new Sports and Civic Complex

By W.C. Mann • 16 Nov, 2021
CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman City Council on Monday evening approved supplemental engineering services for the city’s new Sports and Civic Complex, to be performed by St. John and Associates. The contract modifications are for both the complex itself and a new parking lot to accompany the complex. According to Councilman Johnny Cook, the complex, originally slated for the old Marvin’s on Main Avenue between Heritage Park and the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center, will be relocated to an undeveloped site between the Aquatic Center and the Donald Green Active Adult Center. The new parking lot addressed in Monday’s resolution will be for the complex and will open onto Field of Miracles Drive. The council also passed a resolution to authorize Mayor Woody Jacobs to apply for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure (CRISI) grant funds for improvements to the railroad crossings at 9th Street Southeast, 8th Street Northwest and Arnold Street rail crossings, all crossings in downtown Cullman without viaducts. The city seeks funds in the amount of $546,676.20 to construct “improvements to the 9th Street SE, 8th Street NW, and Arnold Street Rail Crossings which will provide supplemental safety measures and improvements in the form of additional gates for access control, electrical upgrades and warn time upgrades.” The city will provide a local match of $234,289.80 of the total project cost in support of this project.

City of Cullman Approves Contracts for FY22 Streetscape Design and South Pump Station Improvements

By W.C. Mann • 26 Oct, 2021
CULLMAN — The Cullman City Council on Monday evening received a good report from Cullman City School Superintendent Dr. Kyle Kalhoff and responded with some good news of its own for the system’s chief educator. Kalhoff reported that: The system will bid out projects at Cullman City Primary School and Cullman Middle School in December and open bids in January and February. A new gym floor has been installed at Cullman High School, and the gym’s bleacher project should be completed before the start of the season in November. The high school softball field should be re-turfed before the team’s first game in February. The central office is receiving security upgrades. Kalhoff reported that the system recently partnered with Wallace State Community College to offer a career exploration event for students and parents. The superintendent said that he hopes to ensure that: The system’s career tech program align with area workforce needs. The middle school offers an exploratory program corresponding to each of the high school’s career tech programs. Students in each high school career tech program have an opportunity for dual enrollment at Wallace State. Kalhoff also shared the results of Cullman’s performance in the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, which assesses language, arts and math in grades 2-8 and science in grades 4, 6 and 8. The system scored: In the top 15 in all categories Third in 6th grade English Language Arts Sixth in 8th grade English Language Arts Fifth in 8th grade Science Kalhoff reported, “Our administrators, instructional coaches and teachers are working relentlessly to move forward in all categories to achieve our goal of being in the top five in everything we do.” Following the superintendent’s report, Mayor Woody Jacobs and the council presented Kalhoff a check for $600,000, the first payment in a 10-year, $6,000,000 city commitment to the system. The money will help fund numerous construction and improvement projects among the city schools. Other council business The council approved an agreement with MXI Environmental Services LLC for the disposal of household hazardous waste materials. The city will hold a hazardous waste disposal event for the public from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2021 at Heritage Park. The council also approved the following resolutions: No. 2022-04 to enter into contract with St. John & Associates for design and engineering services for Streetscape Improvements on Second Avenue NE from Arnold Street to Clark Street. No. 2022-05 to enter into a contract with St. John & Associates for engineering services for the sewer collection improvements program for screen refurbishment at the South Pump Station. No. 2022-06 to amend the professional services contract with Cohen, Carnaggio & Reynolds Inc. due to an increased scope of work for the Civic Center Complex project. The civic center design was expanded from 101,000 square feet to 125,000 square feet. No. 2022-07 to award a bid for a crew cab flatbed truck to Eckenrod Ford in the amount of $43,503.00. No. 2022-08 to award a bid for black and gray pipe to Bear Concrete Products, the lowest responsible bidder. No. 2022-09 to amend the Cullman Fire and Rescue Fair Labor Standards Act Work Cycle Policy. The council voted to rezone property owned by Shelby Hankey located at 101 Main Ave. from R-4 Residential District to CBD Central Business District, to annex property owned by Sherry Rutherford located at 1240 County Road 1422 as a residential district and to annex properties owned by G.A.P. Properties LLC., located on County Road 770 as a residential district. The council also suspended its regular rules of procedure to pass on its first reading an ordinance to adopt Emily’s Law regarding dangerous or vicious animals, updating its existing policy to current standards. Special events ahead The council approved special event permits for: Keith Varden of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce for Christmas Open House in the Warehouse District on Nov. 12-14, 2021. Andy Palys of the Cullman County Wranglers Club for a trunk or treat in Depot Park on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The Cullman City Council meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in the City Hall auditorium. The public is invited to attend.
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