Southeast Greenways & Trails Summit Schedule

Downtown Jacksonville 

Kick off the 2020 Southeast Greenways and Trails Summit in style by enjoying art, music, and more throughout 15 blocks of downtown Jacksonville. The Art Walk is a monthly event for the city on the first Wednesday.

• 5-9 PM, Downtown Jacksonville Art Walk (Hemming Park, 135 W Monroe Street)

Downtown Jacksonville

• 6:30 AM, Movement Makers (meet in front of Omni Jacksonville Hotel): Run club with a twist: We’ll run down the riverfront trail and check out the outdoor gym.

• All-day, Mobile workshops

Bus Tour: Putnam Trail System and Palatka Trail Town Tour (Prime Osborn Convention Center, 1000 Water Street): Participants will benefit from real-world knowledge of trail development during this mobile tour led by Kraig McLane. This mobile workshop will start in west Putnam near Grandin, stop in Palatka Trail Town and conclude in Hastings. The tour is a case study on best practices in trail development projects from a real hands-on and grass-roots level: How to advocate, plan and lead local governments and private sector to success. McLane has advocated and actively worked on the expansion of multipurpose trails since 1987 on projects such as the Withlacoochee State Trail, Lake City to St. Augustine Rail Trail, SJR2CLoop Trail and Putnam County’s Trail Hub and associated trail master plan in 2009.

Vilano Beach Bus Tour: How to Accomplish Greenways and Trails Friendly Economic Development Using Growth Management and Smart Growth Principles (Prime Osborn Convention Center, 1000 Water Street): This mobile workshop to Vilano Beach will share how we organized, planned, permitted, rezoned and funded/constructed infrastructure. The tour will let participants see the results of the last 10 years of bringing $100 million in public and private economic development, while keeping Vilano Beach’s 1900s small beach town charm. The tour will visually illustrate the story of award-winning Vilano Beach, a Florida Main Street and Florida Trail Town, as a case study for participants to learn how to accomplish greenway- and trail-friendly economic development in their own neighborhoods and towns. The route to Vilano Beach can include the existing bike lanes on A1A from Ponte Vedra to Vilano Beach, passing the thousands of acres Guana State Park with a national environmental center and Wildlife Management area which includes many existing trails for hikers and cyclists. The tour route from Vilano Beach can include a brief drive through the pedestrian and bike-friendly streets of America’s first town, St. Augustine. Led by Vivian C. Browning and Sallie O'Hara.

• 9 AM-noon, Mobile workshops 

South Bank Kayak Tour (kayak launch at Duval County School Board, 1701 Prudential Drive): The tour will begin at the City’s recently opened accessible kayak launch at the Duval County School Board and follow the South Bank east underneath the Hart and Mathews Bridges with a stop on Exchange Club Island. Tour will end at the Arlington Road Boat Ramp with a shuttle back to downtown Jacksonville. Led by Dennis Thompson, Adventure Kayak.

Walk: The Emerald Trail: It Only Took 100 Years (Prime Osborn Convention Center, 1000 Water Street): A three mile walk examining Groundwork Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail project from vision to plan to design and construction. Learn about how GWJax and the City will build a 30-mile trail and restore two urban creeks in under 10 years, while working with urban core residents to achieve shared prosperity. The trail will connect 14 urban neighborhoods, Downtown Jacksonville, two creeks and the St. Johns River. It will connect directly to 16 schools, two colleges and 21 parks, with 13 more schools and 17 additional parks within three blocks. Trail components will include neighborhood history, public art, environmental education, nature-based and active recreation, urban farms and green infrastructure. This mobile workshop will include a walk of the Model Project from where it will connect with McCoys Creek (Park and Stonewall streets) through LaVilla to the  existing S-Line Rail Link. The Model Project will incorporate multiple trail types, including a two-way cycle track, side path and greenway. Participants will experience a historic African-American neighborhood, a public art project and a biodiversity corridor along the trail. Led by Kay Ehas and Shanell Davis-Bryant.

Walk: Put the START in your STEM (Prime Osborn Convention Center, 1000 Water Street): Education Equity, Environmental Awareness, & Greenspace: Walk and Bike Tour of Historic Eastside Jacksonville's Urban Core Neighborhood. Learn about our Urban Youth Bike teams, school gardens and educational enrichment programs for students living in the historic Eastside urban core and surrounding areas. The tour will highlight Brown Library, Matthew Gilbert Middle School, R.L. Brown Elementary School and A. Philip Randolph Park. This tour will be led by Teena Anderson, an environmental advocate, educator and avid bike rider.  She has worked to help communities "green up" and pass food desert policies, which resulted in funding for underserved communities in desperate need of access to fresh food.

South Bank Bus Tour: Tyrannosaurus Trailhead and Other Local Landmarks (Friendship Fountain, 1015 Museum Circle): This mobile workshop will follow the route of the East Coast Greenway through the South Bank and Arlington. Participants will board the bus at the St. Johns Marina with South Bank stops at The District, a planned 32-acre mixed-use development focused on healthy living, and a challenging railroad crossing on Nira Street. The tour will continue along the Beach Boulevard Corridor with a stop to visit the Beach & Peach Urban Bike Park and the roadside oddity, Rex the Dinosaur. Heading into Arlington, the next stops will be at Fort Caroline National Memorial’s Ribault Monument and the future site of the City's newest park commemorating Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee community. The tour will conclude at Norman Studios, a National Landmark and rare vestige of Jacksonville’s days as the “World’s Winter Film Capital” before the film industry moved to Hollywood. Led by Colin Moore, Brian Burket, Ted Johnson and Rita Reagan.

• 1-3:30 PM, Mobile workshops

South Bank Kayak Tour (kayak launch at St. Johns Marina, 901 Museum Circle): Meet at the St. Johns Marina for a shuttle to the Arlington Road Boat Ramp. The tour will begin with a stop on Exchange Club Island and follow the South Bank west underneath the Mathews and Hart Bridges. Tour will conclude at the east end of the South Bank Riverwalk at the Duval County School Board. Led by Dennis Thompson, Adventure Kayak.

Walk: Activating the Jacksonville Riverwalk (North Bank’s Corkscrew Park near bike/ped overpass): Elevating the status and quality of the waterfront experience in Jacksonville is a paramount goal in the City's strategy to create thriving businesses, active public spaces and safe mobility corridors that are accessible, beautiful and inviting. This mobile workshop looks at the City's investment in “activity nodes” with particular attention to the presence and contribution of a new waterfront wayfinding system. These nodes will be an emblematic part of downtown’s waterfront, helping the city with its healthy living agenda and providing active and attractive environments in which to engage the public. The workshop will begin at the North Bank's Corkscrew Park, Jacksonville's first outdoor gym, near the bicycle/pedestrian railroad overpass under the Acosta Bridge. The walking workshop will then proceed to the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts to discuss the transformation of this node into a platform to display the seasonal fluctuations of culture and entertainment that will pull large audiences to the site. Finally, the group will cross the iconic Main Street Bridge to the Friendship Fountain node. Central to Jacksonville’s downtown area, a revitalized Friendship Park is an opportunity to explore and celebrate the essential role of the St. Johns River in shaping Jacksonville’s past, present and future. Led by Jill Enz, Gayandrial “Ivy” Henderson and Eric Miller.

Haskell Building (111 Riverside Avenue)

• 5-8:30 PM, Opening reception, poster session and plenary
  • Local to Jacksonville and intersted in attending Thursday's opening session only? Stay tuned for registration information on Thursday-only registration. 
  • 5-6:30 PM, Registration & poster session
  • 6:30 PM, Welcome: Lenny Curry, Mayor of Jacksonville
  • 6:45-7:45 PM, Opening Plenary: Preservation Project Jacksonville at 20: Activating the Nation's Largest Urban Park
  • 7:45-8 PM, Q&A
  • 8-8:30 PM, Networking

Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (1000 Water Street) 

• 6:30 AM, Movement Makers (meet in front of Omni Jacksonville Hotel): Run club with a twist: We’ll run down the riverfront trail and check out the outdoor gym.
• 8 AM, Registration and breakfast
• 9 AM, Opening keynote: Creating Vibrant and Healthy Cities for All, 8 80 Cities Founder Gil Penalosa 
• 10 AM - 5 PM, Expo hall opens: Visit with vendors and sponsors as well as Summit artist-in-residence Sarah Crooks
• 10:15 AM, Networking break 
• 10:45-11:45 AM, Workshop/breakout Round 1
  • Ballroom North: Roundtable: West Ashley Greenway & Maryville Bikeway: Implementation and Equity Challenges for Charleston's Premier Trail System, Alta Planning + Design
  • Ballroom South: Roundtable: Trail Advocacy Raising a Nonprofit from Conception to Adolescence
  • Room 104: Grayways: Industrial Rings as Opportunities for Trail Planning, Alec Spangler
  • Room 105: Designing Near Wetlands, Streams, Forests and Other Environmental Resources, Weston & Sampson
  • Room 106: Environmental Justice Analysis for Active Transportation Planning, HRPTO
  • Room 107: The Missing Link - How a Modest Investment in Planning Can Get More Trail on the Ground, Iona Thomas, MacAdams/ECGA Board
• 11:50 AM, Networking break 
• Noon-1:15 PM, Lunch and presentations
  • Welcome: Huiwei Shen, chief planner, Florida Department of Transportation

  • Who Really Benefits from the Core to Coast Trail?, Andy Clarke, director of strategy, Toole Design

• 1:15-2:15 PM, Workshop/breakout Round 2
  • Ballroom South: Great Ideas for Greenways
    • Dreams of Youth on Bikes, BRAG Dream Team
    • Urban Green Education for Environmental Justice (UGE-EJ), ProjectTeena Anderson
    • Bike 5 Cities Wayfinding Master Plan, GAI Consultants
    • The Greenway Imperative: Connecting Communities and Landscapes for a Sustainable Future, Chuck Flink
    • Beyond Trails — Going the extra mile in your community infrastructure, Bike Walk Savannah
    • Connecting with the Health Community: Strategies for Engaging with a Wider Audience, Timucuan Parks Foundation
  • Ballroom North: Roundtable: Climate Change: Trails and Transformation, Herb Hiller
  • Room 104: Trails that Encourage Belonging, Civil Bikes
  • Room 105: Emerging Technology = Emerging Trail Users: How EBikes and Electric and Autonomous Vehicles are Effecting Trail Development, Alta Planning
  • Room 106: Why can't we all get along?, Florida Bicycle Association/Becky Afonso
• 2:20 PM, Networking break and snacks 
• 2:45-3:45 PM, Workshop/breakout Round 3 
  • Ballroom North: Roundtable: Active Transportation as a Catalyst for Community Growth, Downtown Vision Inc.
  • Ballroom South: Roundtable: Creative Disturbance: Public Art and the Power of Equitable Trails, Pond
  • Room 104: Equitable Trail Tourism: Advocating for Affordable and "Always Available" Accommodations, Adventure Cycling
  • Room 105: Helping Communities through Bicycle Tourism, Bike Florida
  • Room 106: You Can Take That to the Bank: Successful Trail Towns in Florida, DEP/OGT

  • Room 107: Asking the Right Questions About the Core to Coast Trail, Toole Design

• 3:50 PM, Networking break
• 4-5 PM, Workshop/breakout Round 4
  • Ballroom North: Great Ideas for Greenways:
    • The 7 Creeks Partnership - Building Bridges (and Land and Water Trails) in Northeast Jacksonville, COJ
    • Trails Communities in Nassau County - Creating Linear Parks through Trails/Orange Avenue Trail, Nassau County
    • Leading development of a local ECG trail segment, Phil Scanlan, Friends of Amelia Trail
  • Ballroom South: A Rose By Any Other Name: How to Sell Separation and Identify Unexpected Partnerships, VRUM/Heather Neville
  • Room 104: $6.7 Million to Nothing - A story of regaining SPLOST funding, Friends of Tide to Town Inc./Bike Walk Savannah
  • Room 105: Forging Successful Partnerships to Become a Regional Trail Leader: The Carolina Thread Trail
  • Room 106: The James River Park System Master Plan - Connecting Richmond, VHB
  • Room 107: The Devil is in the Details: Tackling the Implementation of Urban Trails, Pond
• 5:15 PM, Closing

Note: Great Ideas for Greenways will be quick-hitting, 7-minute presentations 

Happy Hour (Engine 15 Brewing Co, 638 Myrtle Ave. N) 

• 5:30-7:30 PM: Drop by for a drink and get an inside look at plans for the Emerald Trail. Sponsored by Pond.

Neptune Beach 

• Attendees can utilize bus rapid transit to participate in an Open Streets event in Neptune Beach: Bus route 10B is the only way to Neptune Beach from downtown Jacksonville and departs hourly from the Rosa Parks station (0.6-0.7 miles walk from the Omni hotel).

By closing the streets to cars, the public can walk, stroll, skate, bike, skateboard, wheelchair, or just hang out safely. Around the world, cities are hosting Ciclovia or Open Streets events to allow people to use the largest public space in most cities (streets) for alternative uses, giving participants a unique and active perspective of their city. 

An informal 5K fun run is being organized by JTC Running, a local club, starting after the Open Streets welcome at 9:30 a.m.

We’ll also highlight youth and community engagement with an opportunity for Jacksonville youth to learn the basics of cycling safety and bike maintenance. The workshop will be co-led by BRAG Dream Team Coaches and a local Jacksonville nonprofit organization that provides bicycles to underserved children and adults. Led by Atiba Mbiwan, Anita Collins, Fred Hay and Philip Wu. 

Bike: Gullah Geechee Corridor Youth Ride in Florida: This session will highlight youth and community engagement by providing a special opportunity for youth in Jacksonville to learn the basics of cycling safety and bicycle maintenance. It will be a two-part session with a workshop and a bike ride on Saturday morning on Amelia Island bike paths (part of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor) that end at American Beach Museum. The workshop will be co-led by BRAG Dream Team Coaches and a local Jacksonville nonprofit organization that provides bicycles to underserved children and adults. Bicycles will be provided to 15-20 middle school and high school age youth who participate in the workshop and those who complete all the tasks will be eligible to participate in the bike ride. Led by Atiba Mbiwan, Anita Collins, Fred Hay and Philip Wu. Special note: the Gullah Geechee Youth Bike Tour begins Saturday, April 4 on Amelia Island, Florida, and finishes Tuesday, April 7 on Daufuskie Island, S.C.