'Bluffline' plan to connect north and west Pensacola with miles of trails gaining steam

A public greenway project that would connect north and west Pensacola with trails, parks, and other common spaces has caught the eye of the Environmental Protection Agency, which could mean a windfall of millions of dollars in federal grant money.

The grant application process is underway, and the nonprofit pushing the project says community input is wanted and needed to move forward.

The project is known as The Bluffline. It’s a plan to knit together existing public parks via neglected rail and utility rights-of-way which would create one continuous, multi-use path stretching from the University of West Florida to “Jackson Lakes.” Jackson Lakes is part of an area that includes nearly 70 acres of county-owned land located between Navy Boulevard and Jackson Street and is home to three large, freshwater lakes.

Jackson Creek also flows through the area, a freshwater creek that runs into Bayou Chico that impressed even Andrew Jackson who once camped there. The undeveloped area is home to wildlife, waterlilies and a natural spring that feeds one of the lakes, keeping the water clear and cool. Another big plus, county staff say the water is unpolluted, based on recent water testing.

The state cleaned up an old, privately owned landfill that bordered one of the lakes a few years ago and county staff say testing shows the water and soil around the lakes is not contaminated by pollution.

The greenway project would kick off with the development of a park, trails and other amenities at Jackson Lakes, should The Bluffline receive the EPA grant.

“Jackson Lakes used to be the Clark Sand Pits and there were three borrow pits here on site,” said Chips Kirschenfeld, senior scientist for Escambia County. "When the county purchased the property in 2001, it was purchased with state funds from the Northwest Florida Water Management District. Commissioner Mike Bass at the time did have a vision for this area, maybe being a future park at some point, but the funding wasn’t there.”

The proposed 15 miles of trails from UWF would not only wind through rights-of-way owned by CSX and Florida Power & Light, but also those owned by Escambia County and the city of Pensacola. It would connect schools, neighborhoods and healthcare facilities through the city and county. In West Pensacola, it would take people to locations like Global Learning Academy, Jackson Lakes and Jones Swamp Wetland Preserve & Nature Trail.

“You would have sidewalk or trail improvements along existing county rights-of-way for that connectivity,” said Tim Day, Escambia County's natural resources management director. “Anytime that we can, especially in urban areas, provide opportunities for area citizens to interact with nature, it's always a win.”

The Bluffline project was launched by Jarah Jacquay, president and co-founder of The Bluffline and T.S. Strickland, director of strategy for the nonprofit organization. Their goal with creating the public greenway from UWF to West Pensacola is to reconnect people “with their bodies, their environment and each other.”

They’ve already had some big wins. They were successful in getting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to add The Bluffline corridor to the Office of Greenways of Trails, which Jacquay said greenlights state funding to eventually build out the entire multi-use trail, but doesn’t cover improvements like benches, shade shelters, bathrooms and water fountains, as well as parks and other facilities.

They’ve also been awarded a technical assistance grant from the EPA to help them design and refine the plan so they can go after a much larger grant of between $10 million and $20 million through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change Grant Program.

The deadline to apply is coming up at the end of the year. Should they get it, the money would fund the development of Jackson Lakes, and the men say the project would be completed by 2028 at no cost to the county.

Previously: Bluffline wants to create a new public greenway between Scenic Highway and the westside

“We've already had a site visit from the design firm with EPA administrators from (Washington) D.C. and Atlanta who have come down and vetted the project and said, ‘Hey, you are on the right track. This is the sort of project that we are looking for,’” Jacquay said.

He said the EPA is interested in the plan because it not only encourages outdoor activity, but it would spark growth and development in communities like Warrington and West Pensacola that have been plagued by blight and poverty, issues that are a concern to the community and local military leadership.

“It's something that Naval Air Station Pensacola and Corry Station really think is needed,” Jacquay said. “They want these areas to be revitalized and people to want to live and work in West Pensacola because our national security depends on it, and they've had some problems with recruiting because of the current physical conditions of West Pensacola.”

Jackson Lakes and the surrounding Warrington community are in Escambia County Commissioner Mike Kohler’s district. He has been working with county code enforcement to clean up blight in the area and supports the project if they can get the funding.

“I like the idea because of the surrounding area,” said Kohler. “On both sides, in Brownsville we're trying to do some work there and on this side we’re cleaning up Bayou Chico. We got about $11 million for taking out toxic sediment there. I think it would help the community and anything that can get people outside is good.”

Local businesswoman Jane Birdwell owns property in the area, with lots near one of the lakes. She was already planning to develop the property with the goal of helping to revitalize the older, but quaint neighborhood, when she heard about The Bluffline. She said neighbors there are excited about the idea of progress and she believes it's a good opportunity for the county.

"Everybody is excited about bringing this neighborhood back to life," Birdwell said. "Outside of the Maritime Park, although it did have its naysayers, I've never seen so much excitement for a neighborhood revitalization project. I'm just so excited. I was at the right place at the right time."

Strickland and Jacquay say Bluffline is working closely with Escambia County to develop an interim partnership agreement, which will be crucial for applying for federal funding. A formal agreement is expected to be presented to the county commissioners for a vote in the next several weeks.

They are also hosting events to get the community involved. They’re looking for input from citizens as well as different groups that would use the trails like running clubs, bicyclists, skaters and mountain bikers, among many others.

If you’d like to learn more or weigh in on the project, there’s a community meeting on The Bluffline on July 30, from 5– 6:30 p.m. at Lexington Terrace Community Center, 700 S. Old Corry Field Road in Pensacola.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Bluffline project aims to develop Pensacola's Jackson Lakes