Published: November 07, 2009 10:16 pm      

New Dalton administrator eyes bike, walking trails

Some people look at the various creeks crisscrossing the Dalton area and see only water. New Dalton city administrator Ty Ross looked at them and the railroads that pass through and saw dozens of miles of bicycle and walking trails.

“I came up with the idea after talking to the local cycling club. They want a safe way to get from town to the routes on the north end of the county and the west end of the county,” he said.

Ross asked the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, which is working on ways to expand bicycling opportunities across the region, to map out some of the possible routes.

The trails would connect the various parks and recreation facilities across the county as well as undeveloped greenspace. Ross said the city could get state and federal transportation money for the project.

“It’s all very much doable, but even if we accomplish only 50 percent, we immediately become one of those pedestrian and cycling friendly communities that make those national lists for quality of life,” he said.

Shane Adams, co-owner of Dalton’s Bear Creek Bicycle Co., said local cyclists were excited to hear about the proposal.

“This goes beyond current cyclists and could give recreational opportunities to all citizens of Dalton,” he said. “It will give trail runners and pedestrians more opportunities.”

He pointed to the city’s Raisin Woods mountain bike park, which he says is used by numerous people every day.

“If you build it they will come, and I think Raisin Woods shows that,” he said.

Mayor David Pennington said the plan fits into the city’s efforts to make the area more attractive to young, educated people.

“He (Ross) came up with this idea that he thought was workable, and we told him to go for it,” Pennington said.

Ross started as city administrator in early October. He was selected by the City Council following a 13-month search after former administrator Butch Sanders stepped down in July 2008. Ross is being paid $82,200 a year and receives a $750 a month vehicle allowance. Like other city workers, he does not have a contract with the city.

“He’s doing a good job of communicating with the council, and he’s doing a good job at handling the things he has been asked to deal with,” said council member Dick Lowrey.

One of the first tasks the City Council handed Ross was to work with department heads to develop a long-term plan for the city.

“My duty within the strategic plan is to work on economic development and redevelopment of the city,” he said. “That includes this neat transportation and recreation project.”

Ross said he is also trying to find a way to do a similar project focused on downtown Dalton that would make it more friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians.

Chuck Dobbins, chairman of the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority, says having a city administrator on board to work with staff of the JDA and the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce is a big plus.

“I feel good about Ty, and his knowledge of the community will be good for all of us working together,” he said.

Ross, a former assistant dean at Dalton State College, is working full time as administrator, but he is also finishing his obligations at the college by teaching two classes he had begun before being selected.

“Two days a week, I leave here to teach, and I also teach two nights a week,” he said.

Lowrey said council members knew Ross would finish teaching those courses.

“He’ll be able to do more once that’s finished, but it hasn’t gotten in the way of anything we’ve asked him to do,” he said.

Ross said he’s currently helping the council draft its 2010 budget and serving as the point man in discussions with the Dalton Board of Education to move school administrative offices into City Hall, which officials hope can cut spending by allowing the two governments to share the costs of one building.

Ross says he is also working on a retreat for city officials, Dalton State officials and others to Columbus, Ga. Ross said city officials there have helped Columbus State University create a presence downtown and it has proved a big boon to the area. He said he wants Dalton officials to see how that might help them in their plans to create some sort of campus for Dalton State College in downtown Dalton.

“I don’t think there’s anything he’s not doing today that we would ask him to do, but I do think he’s going to grow in all his areas of responsibilities,” said council member Charlie Bethel.