The Hospitality Tax, a 2% tax at 1,900 Greenville County dining establishments outside City limits, was passed by Greenville County Council in December 2006. The funds generated by this tax will provide financial support for the Greenville County Recreation District’s Tourism, Recreation and Athletics Coalition (TRAC) Plan. Collection began in late summer 2007, and is on pace to exceed $6 million per year.
Proceeds from the Hospitality Tax will help to develop Greenville County into a tourism destination. The TRAC Plan will increase the quality of life for citizens of Greenville County by providing recreation facilities, preserving greenspace, and creating a countywide network of destination parks and specialty attractions. For more information about the TRAC Plan, please visit the GCRD website.
One of the major projects that will receive significant funding through the TRAC Plan is the Swamp Rabbit Greenway Trail, an approximately 17-mile trail from Travelers Rest down to Conestee. Lake Conestee Nature Park will include a significant portion of this Greenway Trail along the Reedy River from I-85 to the Conestee dam. LCNP will also act as the southern “hub” of the developing Greenway network.
The Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail, the northern portion of the Greenway Trail that will link Travelers Rest, Furman University and the city of Greenville, has received funding from the Greenville Hospital System. This portion of the trail will act as the spine for greenways in northern Greenville County and will link with additional trails within the City of Greenville. Ty Houck, Director of Greenways, Natural and Historic Resources for the GCRD, maintains that “Greenways serve as a means for communities to better get to know each other, to promote active lifestyles, to encourage alternative modes of transportation, to foster as a sense of place, to boost economic development, and to increase quality of life. They will be yet another reason why we love living in the Upstate.”
Implementation of a greenways system through the center of the county is already in the planning stages. The Swamp Rabbit Forum held its Inaugural Meeting on November 9, 2006 with the purpose of developing a shared community vision for the proposed greenway along the Reedy River from Travelers Rest to Lake Conestee. The Forum, which held regular monthly meetings during the early stages of Greenway planning, brought together representatives from conservation organizations (including the Conestee Foundation), local governments, and educational institutions with an interest or role in the creation of the greenway trail. The proposed spine of the Reedy River Greenway would link LCNP to the expanding trail network in downtown Greenville, including Cleveland Park and Falls Park, as well as link to Furman University, Greenville Technical College, and the Rails-to-Trails conversion that extends from Travelers Rest to the City of Greenville. The old Greenville & Northern Railroad line will be converted into a 10-foot wide asphalt strip, and will support pedestrian traffic as well as a “microbus” tram that will run the length of the trail. Additional proposed linkages include spurs to Paris Mountain State Park and Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR), among others. The Greenway will be a huge collaborative effort that will link extraordinary recreational, educational, and transportation resources throughout the county, with LCNP serving as the southern access hub to the system.
LCNP will also support many trail linkages within its own boundaries. The proposed Phase II trail and bridge will link park resources on the east side of the Reedy River, which may eventually include a Welcome Center and Environmental Education and Research Complex, to the SCPRT-funded Phase I trail network that currently winds through the former lakebed. Future phases of trail construction on the Henderson Farm property, Mauldin Road property, and City property north of the park will all connect to create an extensive network of trails within the greenway system. Another linkage will connect the trails on Foundation-owned properties to planned recreational resources on the capped Municipal Landfill owned by the City of Greenville. The Foundation is also working to connect the LCNP trails to the Donaldson Center, and specifically Perimeter Road, a popular destination for bike training and races.
How did the Swamp Rabbit get its name?
The Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail is named for the Greenville and Northern Railroad Line (G&N), originally known as the “Swamp Rabbit Railroad.” This rail line begins north of Travelers Rest, crosses behind Furman University and follows the Reedy River into Greenville to Linky Stone Park (behind the Peace Center). On June 1, 1999 Greenville County Council approved the creation of the Greenville County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC), which purchased approximately 15 miles of rail corridor. The mission statement of GCEDC is:
To facilitate through rail line ownership and/or rail corridor preservation inter-modal business commuter, shipping and leisure travel access to greater Greenville and its gateways. Our highest priorities in carrying out this mission are safety, citizenship, responsibility, and cost effectiveness.
This rail-to-trail conversion will connect Travelers Rest with the City of Greenville, and will be part of the entire Swamp Rabbit Greenway Trail ending at Lake Conestee Nature Park.
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