City of Clarksville teams up with Cumberland River Compact
Clarksville, TN – The City of Clarksville and the Cumberland River Compact joined forces to clean a section of the Red River in preparation for a new walking trail.
More than 30 volunteers met April 29th, 2018 and worked to pick up and remove trash from the old Kraft Street marina site and along the wooded trail leading to it. The cleanup was funded by a grant from Tennessee Valley Authority, secured by the Cumberland River Compact.
![The City of Clarksville and the Cumberland River Compact joined forces April 29th to clean a section of the Red River in preparation for a new walking trail. More than 30 volunteers spent the afternoon removing more than 1,900 lbs of trash, 325 lbs of plastic and aluminum recyclables and 186 tires from the area. The City of Clarksville and the Cumberland River Compact joined forces April 29th to clean a section of the Red River in preparation for a new walking trail. More than 30 volunteers spent the afternoon removing more than 1,900 lbs of trash, 325 lbs of plastic and aluminum recyclables and 186 tires from the area.](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Clarksville-Volunteers-clean-old-Red-River-Marina-4-480x320.jpg)
“It was years of debris and trash and looks great now. Our next steps will be to cut up and haul off the metal from the clean up and remove a burnt out boat house,” said Jennifer Letourneau, Clarksville Parks and Recreation Director.
Volunteers removed more than 1,900 pounds of trash, 325 pounds of plastic and aluminum recyclables and 186 tires from the area.
Improving the old Red River Marina is part of a larger initiative to connect another trail to the Greenway system and provide an additional Blueway access at the Red River.
“The old marina area will be used as a kayak and canoe access point,” Letourneau said. “The trail will begin at the current terminus of the North Extension under the Red River Bridge behind the Waffle House. From there it will circle behind the businesses on Kraft street and end at an old bridge abutment.”
![More than 1,900 lbs of trash, 325 lbs of plastic and aluminum recyclables and 186 tires were removed from the area by volunteers. More than 1,900 lbs of trash, 325 lbs of plastic and aluminum recyclables and 186 tires were removed from the area by volunteers.](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Clarksville-Volunteers-clean-old-Red-River-Marina-1-480x320.jpg)
Letourneau explained the goal is to secure a grant to build a pedestrian bridge at this location and connect to the Greenway on the other side of the river. That side will have an added trail late this summer with the assistance of the Clarksville Street Department.
Once this connection is made, a pedestrian or bicyclist could start at Tiny Town Road in Northeast Clarksville and get to downtown on the Greenway.
Clarksville, Mt. Juliet, Gallatin and Franklin have participated in River Spring Clean Up events in which 180 volunteers collected more than 7,000 pounds of trash and more than 300 tires. The tires were recycled by Bridgestone through their Tires4Ward program, which takes tires collected as part of organized public lands, rivers, streams and lakes clean-up events across the country.