LGA is a program of Community Open Land Trust

The Lexington Greenways Alliance through Community Open Land Trust has been successful in laying a foundation for Lexington Greenways.  The Lexington Greenways Program includes a framework for building an integrated system of pathways that will link residents to the outdoors and follows the goals of the South Carolina State Trails Plan and South Carolina Outdoor Recreation Plan. The trails and greenways will serve transportation and recreation needs by creating linkages to existing parks, green spaces, trails, sidewalks, bikeways, roadways, and spur trails along feeder streams, Twelve Mile and Fourteen Mile Creeks to the Saluda River Greenway and the Congaree Creek to the Three Rivers Greenway providing a comprehensive network of greenways, transportation, parks and open space.


Mission:
Creating greenway corridors and trails throughout Lexington County, encouraging healthier lifestyles; providing transportation options to surrounding destinations and offering opportunities for environmental conservation and education.

Lexington Greenways Alliance Goals

Goal:   Conserve, protect, and manage natural resources and environmentally and culturally significant areas for sustainable use by future generations.

Objectives/Tasks:

• Expand awareness, education and understanding of the importance of the natural environment.
• Foster communication and coordination among municipal and county governments to encourage consideration of conservation, protection, and proper management of the natural resources through use of greenways and open space as part of planning and design of development projects.
• Promote greenways in required buffer areas along streams, rivers and ecological­ly sensitive areas.
• Encourage the protection of endangered and threatened wildlife and vegetation.
• Collaborate with public and private sectors to create a network of open space.

Goal:   Provide safe transportation options for bike and pedestrian use to surrounding destinations encouraging healthier lifestyles and more livable communities for residents.

Objectives/Tasks:

• Collaboration between Community Open Land Trust/Lexington Greenways Alliance and the Town of Lexington to create greenways and conserved open space. 
• Promote cooperation among public and private sectors to provide public access points and connections between greenways, bike/pedestrian trails, parks, schools, residential and commercial districts.
• Educate citizens, businesses, and the development community/industry about greenways and how greenways enhance, improve, and connect neighborhoods to encourage their support, demand and funding for these projects.

Goal:   Identify opportunities, funding sources and partnerships with public and private agencies/entities to ensure the implementation, maintenance and security of greenway and bike/pedestrian trail projects and programs.

Objectives/Tasks:

• Endeavor to develop new and innovative means to cost-effectively construct new greenway facilities.
• Establish standard maintenance techniques and monitoring protocols for greenway facilities.
• Provide safe, efficient and accessible greenways and bike/pedestrian trails to residents and visitors.

Lexington Greenways Alliance Accomplishments

The Lexington Greenways Alliance, comprised of public and private partners, has accomplished the following greenway program activities since their kick off meeting in October 2008:

• Identified the mission of the Alliance and set goals and objectives to create greenway corridors, trails and parks throughout Lexington County, which will encourage healthier lifestyles; provide transportation options to surrounding destinations and offer opportunities for environmental conservation and education.
• Created a greenways and trail vision and developed the greenways trail maps, with connections to existing trails and pathways, recreation spots, parks, points of interest, schools and businesses.
• Building and strengthening community partnerships with the Town of Lexington, County of Lexington, The River Alliance, SC Parks Recreation and Tourism, Central Midlands Council of Government and many other Federal, State and Local public and private sectors.
• The Lexington Greenways plan is a component of the CMGOC Bike & Pedestrian Pathways Plan. The Lexington Greenways Alliance has representation on the CMCOG Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee.
• Coordinated and sponsored the first annual Tour de Midlands Bike Ride on May 15, 2010, to create awareness and funding for the Lexington Greenways. The second annual Tour de Midlands will be held on May 14, 2011.
• Community Open Land Trust applied for and was awarded the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism 2010 Recreational Trails Program grant. The $100,000 grant with 20% matching funds from the Town of Lexington will help fund the Fourteen Mile Creek Trailhead Park, the first segment of the Lexington Greenway.
• The Alliance held open house visioning sessions to receive comments and visions for the proposed park from surrounding property owners. Comments were positive and attendees were overall very supportive of the Fourteen Mile Creek Trailhead Park.
• Mapping and design of the Fourteen Mile Creek Trailhead Park is currently underway.



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