Unsung Hero:
Duane Ford Duane Ford stands on the Cricket Frog Trail near its Elm Street crossing in downtown Covington. Ford chaired the nonprofit Newton Trails Inc. as it oversaw major moves toward completion of the 15-mile pedestrian trail. Tom Spigolon | The News
Ford led all-volunteer organization in making major strides toward countywide trail system By TOM SPIGOLON
D
tspigolon@covnews.com
uane Ford wanted to stay active when he and his wife moved to Georgia after his career in higher education ended. The former community college president has indeed stayed active — and even helped lead a trails organization to the cusp of making a connection that could benefit Newton County for years. Ford serves as chairman of the the board of directors of the nonprofit Newton Trails Inc., a nonprofit that includes about 40 “pretty active” volunteers and 30 additional people who regularly participate on its numerous projects and activities, he said. It is dedicated to building, maintaining and linking an extensive THE COVINGTON NEWS
system of bicycle and pedestrian trails throughout the county -- with a major focus on completing a continuous 15-mile route for the Cricket Frog Trail from Covington to Mansfield. The trail sits atop the bed of an abandoned railroad — a local version of similar “rails to trails” projects that have proven to be economic boons to communities in other parts of metro Atlanta in recent years. In 2021, Ford led the nonprofit as its volunteers refurbished former railroad bridges, installed trailside benches and pet waste stations, saw local governments pave many miles of the trail, and began an ambitious fundraising campaign to renovate the final, and largest, bridge on the trail.
Ford noted Newton Trails has “a long history, a lot of stuff, over many, many years.” “I can’t take a lot of credit,” he said. “I can say that I made some contributions.” “There have been so many people that have been working on getting this to happen over decades,” Ford said. “I think it was headed in the right direction because of the work of so many people in the past and I just happened to become involved in Newton Trails at the right time.” The nonprofit was first chartered in 1998 and its first project was a 4.7-mile soft surface trail at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center near Mansfield. It followed in the 2000s with the Eastside Trail linking Chimney Park and Eastside High School; the OxVISIONS 2022: HERE WE GROW 61
