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Friends of Greenville Greenways (FROGGS)

Friends of Greenville Greenways (FROGGS)

The Friends of Greenville Greenways (FROGGS) was founded in 2004. It started as part of the Greenville Greenways Committee, as a nonprofit organization that works with volunteers only. FROGGS strives to foster awareness of the importance of Greenways as well as being an advocate for the use of said Greenways.

FROGGS also seeks funding for its continual development and construction improvements to select Greenways. and is located in the City of Greenville.

Greenways System

The Greenville Greenways are a system of paved trails. There are many parks along the trails. They run through the region of Greenville. They cover the area between East Carolina University to the Towns Commons. The system is great for various leisure and exercise activities. These include;

1. Running

2. Walking

3. Biking

History

In the 1980s, former city planner Libby Anderson created the GGC. It was to propose the construction of a greenway. A hearing was held by the City Council in 1985. There, citizens requested for a greenway to be developed. The greenway would;

· facilitate bicycle traffic between the campus and student apartments

· provide a space for outdoor exercise

· preserve forest habitat in the city

After the hearing, a budget of $50,000 was agreed upon. The money was for hiring a contractor. He or she was to prepare a master plan for the city’s greenway. Greenway Inc. was the leading greenway planning firm in the country. It was thus hired to prepare the plan.

Greenways Inc.

Greenways Inc. proposed the first Master Plan in 1991. It included a greenway support group. The group was citizens only. They were to advocate for improvements on the greenway. The firm suggested the catchy name 'FROGGS (Friends of Greenville Greenways)'. This is the name the organization uses today. The GGC also suggested appointing a designated contractor. The individual would come from the planning department. The job would involve;

· finding potential grant

· finding other funding sources

· preparing grant proposals in a timely fashion to meet grant deadlines

· providing quality proposals

They requested defined segments in the original Master Plan be made into proposals. The 1991 Greenway Master Plan was divided into three parts.

1. High cost (millions of dollars)

2. Medium cost ($100,000)

3. Low cost (under $50,000)

This would allow for a proposal to be ready to meet any deadline. It would also cover any kind of grant offer.

Green Mill Run

The first Greenway was Green Mill Run. It connects Green Springs Park on Fifth Street with Elm Street Park. It also connects to the baseball field on South Elm Street. Green Mill Run was completed in 1995. At first, Greenway planning was a joint effort. It involved the Greenville Public Works Department (city engineers) and the Planning Department. Greenville Recreation and Parks got involved after the first stages of planning.

FROGGS

FROGGS was founded in 2003. Its founder’s name is Jill Twark. She took up the city planners' suggestion to found a nonprofit organization. It was like that recommended in the Master Plan. She gathered a group of enthusiastic supporters of the greenways. She proposed the idea of FROGGS.

Greenville had designated planning responsibilities to the staff of the planning department. Still, Twark organized public events. She also lobbied city officials to advocate for greenways to be constructed. This was in accordance with the 2004 Master Plan. FROGGS grew rapidly under her leadership. Many new segments were added to the system. The first Tar River Greenway segment was completed in 2008. The city Planning Department took over the planning and operations of the greenway. The GGC was then disbanded.

FROGGS is managed by a board. This board is made up solely of volunteers.

The organization works to promote and elevate the quality of life for all citizens. It does this by;

· maintaining existing greenways

· planning expansions

· encouraging local communities and businesses to join in their advocacy. This is for viable, environmentally conscious recreation and transportation opportunities

Hikes and Bikes

Greenville is the perfect location for getting involved in hiking and biking. The region has flat trails and roads. It has moderate rolling hills and trails that can prove to be challenging. There are various spots for biking and hiking, including;

· The Bicycle Post-Mountain Bike Trails - great for going off-road bike riding.

· Greenville Greenway – It is part of the East Coast Greenway. It is 9 miles long.

· River Park North – It has miles of wooded trails. The whole park covers 320 acres.

Many biking enthusiasts find Pitt County and Greenville suitable. There is a cycling community. It helps to support and host many competitions in the region. The community also organizes for leisure rides all around the year.

Join FROGGS

Membership at FROGGS begins at $30 yearly. There are student and senior memberships that both go for $15.

You can make donations to the organization. The donations are 100% deductible. These help the organization in building amenities. It also promotes other developments on greenways in Greenville.

Volunteer at FROGGS

FROGGS functions on the backs of its volunteers. The board is made up of volunteers only. Volunteers work together with the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department. There are so many opportunities to volunteer with FROGGS.

You can help with the yearly Greenway Fun Day. Other activities and initiatives are also available.

You can also offer some of your skills. There are many required skills including;

· Graphic Design

· Web Design

· Grant Writing

· Printing

The volunteers deserve a lot of credit for maintaining the Greenville Greenways. They make sure the greenways remain beautiful for the community’s enjoyment.

Friends of Greenville Greenways (FROGGS) aims to promote greenway usage. The organization works to improve the greenways. It tries to make them more beneficial to communities. It helps to raise money for amenities. Some of the items bought with donations are benches and picnic tables. The volunteers at the organization ensure the greenways are well maintained. They clean and landscape. They also advocate for suitable leadership of the city.

ENC Explorer
Author: ENC Explorer

After getting accepted to ECU, I started looking for things to do in and around Greenville, NC. However, my searches kept taking me to places in South Carolina! There must be things to do around ECU, so I started asking other students. They kept telling me to graduate and move away! This inspired me to begin exploring eastern North Carolina and build this website as a showcase of the places to go, sights to see, and things to do all over eastern NC. I have fallen in love with this region and started taking up roots here. After graduating, I didn't move away - I bought a house here and continue to explore eastern North Carolina.

This place is for Publicity

This place is for Publicity

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