The idea for the Mill Line Trail was brewing for 20 years, so waiting a few extra months for a ribbon cutting probably didn’t seem too long to those who worked to make the trail a reality. The trail was opened to the public in March, and on Wednesday, Dalton leaders joined with residents and champions of the project to celebrate the completion of its first stage.
Construction on the Mill Line Trail began last summer. The project created nearly 1.5 miles of 10-foot-wide paved trail along Mill Creek connecting Haig Mill Lake Park with the old Eagle Walk Trail. The project has been talked about for more than two decades, however, dating back to a plan that called for the creation of “the green hat,” a nature park at Haig Mill Lake atop the north end of Dalton and a system of green spaces throughout the city. That plan stayed on the drawing board for many years and the green hat nickname faded away before the creation of Haig Mill Lake Park in 2018.
“This was something that I’ve looked forward to for a long time,” City Administrator Andrew Parker said. “This day is really 20 years in the making. I had a mayor of another city tell me recently that the seeds we plant today might not come to bear fruit until 10 years, 20 years from now. That’s why you’ve got to constantly be looking forward.”
Parker credited Dalton philanthropist Paul Belk with having the vision for the Mill Line Trail. Belk donated the land for the project nearly 20 years ago along with his late business partner Horace Sewell. Parker and other city leaders thanked Belk during Wednesday’s ceremony. Leaders also recognized the King family of Dalton and the Mashburn Foundation that donated land easements for construction of the trail.
“You are one of the strongest encouragers of good things happening in Dalton,” Mayor Annalee Harlan Sams told Belk. “Thank you, and please stay after us to keep good things happening in Dalton.”
“Don’t ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up,” Belk said when he addressed the gathering. “That’s Winston Churchill’s quote that I just quoted, and that’s what it took to get this park.”
City leaders waited for the completion of the finishing touches such as signage, markers and benches before holding a dedication ceremony. Much of the work to install those finishing pieces was made possible through grants from the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia. City officials thanked foundation officials Wednesday, along with officials from Believe Greater Dalton and the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce who championed the project.
“This is not just about recreation, this is economic development in a very big way,” Dennis Mock said during the ceremony. Mock is a member of the City Council and was mayor when Haig Mill Lake Park was completed. “If you’ll notice when cities like Atlanta and some of the bigger cities put in walking and biking trails, economic development happens all around those trails and that’s happening here.”
City leaders emphasized Wednesday they aren’t done with the Mill Line yet. The vision for the project is to connect Haig Mill Lake with downtown Dalton. Completing the trail connection is one of the projects on the 2024 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax list voters approved earlier this year.
“Hopefully pretty soon those plans will start to come together, and eventually I hope that this thing will go all the way down to Al Rollins Park and we’ll have a spine trail all throughout the city that folks in any location can enjoy,” Parker said.
“I think a little bit bigger,” Mock said. “Eventually, I’d like the green hat to have an arm to reach up to Rocky Face Ridge, have a leg down to Riverbend Park, and let’s spread this thing out and go all the way with it.”
Parking for the Mill Line Trail is available off of Chattanooga Avenue in a lot just south of the Georgia Department of Labor office. The trail can also be accessed from Mallard Road. Haig Mill Lake Park is at 652 Haig Mill Lake Road, and the hiking trail connects to the Mill Line Trail at the southeast corner of the lake.