Outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to the Nov. 6 unveiling of the River to Clouds Route, a Lookout Mountain trail that spans 34 miles from Rising Fawn, Georgia, to the Chattanooga Riverwalk in St. Elmo, with segments suited for mountain bikers, trekkers and trail runners.
River to Clouds consists of single and double-track trails that are open to bicycle and foot travel. Adventurers can expect rocky technical sections, scenic overlooks, mountain streams, waterfalls, concealed valleys, unique rock formations, abandoned mines and several historical sites.
The route represents the collaboration of six public and private property holders on Lookout Mountain, which Thrive Regional Partnership facilitated.
River to Clouds connects public lands managed by Lookout Mountain Conservancy, the National Park Service, Lula Lake Land Trust, Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, Covenant College and Georgia State Parks.
County to distribute anti-choking devices
The Hamilton County Health Department and local nonprofit GregO2 have worked together to distribute LifeVac devices communitywide. The two organizations equipped nearly 1,000 first responder vehicles throughout the county with the life-saving anti-choking devices last week.
Additionally, the Hamilton County Health Department is partnering with GregO2 to install a LifeVac device in every restaurant, retirement home and day care center in the county as funds become available.
Business owner Rob Creswell founded GregO2 following his brother’s death last year. The foundation’s goal is to save lives by installing LifeVacs in every possible establishment throughout the community.
“My brother, Greg, died from choking,” says Creswell. “Greg would still be alive today if a LifeVac had been installed in the restaurant. Our nonprofit aims to never let choking be responsible for claiming someone’s life.
LifeVac is FDA-registered device credited with saving more than 1,300 lives. The devices are available through GregO2 or LifeVac’s website. Donations of $100 or more to GregO2 (grego2.org) will supply the donating resident with a LifeVac device, as well as fund additional LifeVac devices for GregO2 to place in a local restaurant.
Grant to fund insight for city’s smart corridor
The Federal Highway Administration has awarded $1.1 million for research to enhance detection of “vulnerable road users” within the smart city corridor the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga oversees.
In addition to the funding awarded through the FHWA’s advance research program, UTC and research partners will invest $300,000 to enable additional technology along the M.L. King Boulevard site to detect anyone not traveling inside an enclosed vehicle.
The grant funds the addition of thermal cameras that detect objects by infrared energy, or emitted heat, to a diverse array of existing sensors already installed at intersections along the smart corridor.