On Tuesday, officials from The Friends of The Thread, the City of LaGrange and LaGrange College gathered to officially announce the completion of the LaGrange College segment of The Thread.

The 1.4-mile section stretches from Granger Park to within the LaGrange College campus, and in the short time since the trail segment’s completion, the LaGrange College section has already seen students and community members taking advantage of the trail.

“I sat in the baseball stands over the last couple weekends that they [college’s baseball team] played, and watched people enjoying The Thread constantly — a lot of people,” LaGrange College President Dan McAlexander said. “This has been an amazing project, and what I love most about the project is it [ultimately] connects all the neighborhoods of the community together. The college is delighted to be a part of that.”

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Arrington said that he walked on the LaGrange College trail segment for the first time on Sunday, and he was impressed by its beauty and was glad of the college’s partnership with the city on the project.

“I kept hearing it from everyone that this was just a beautiful segment, I had to come down for myself and walk it and see,” Arrington said. “It obviously is. It is a gorgeous section of The Thread. LaGrange College is part of who we are here in LaGrange, and we just want to thank everyone at LaGrange College for your partnerships with the City of LaGrange, because this [segment of the] Thread wouldn’t be possible without your partnership.”

The Thread is funded through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, and LaGrange College granted the city easements onto the property for the trail’s construction. The Thread also receives support from the Callaway Foundation and the Friends of The Thread.

“One of the main reasons I believe in and support this project is because I believe it is transforming our community,” said Dr. Charles Metcalf, the pastor at Clearview Chapel and the president of The Friends of The Thread board. “It is getting us out. It is getting us to interact with each other. It is increasing the overall standard of living for people in Troup County.”

The speakers all said that they were excited to see a variety of users on The Thread.

“The Thread is just such a wonderful amenity for all, for everyone,” Metcalf said. “Any given day out on The Thread, you will see babies on strollers. … You’ll see kids on bikes, plenty of college students. You’ll see middle aged folks out there, seniors enjoying this first-class amenity. If you are lucky, you might even spot a couple of cute dogs.”

LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce President Page Estes said that amenities like The Thread have benefits beyond current residents.

“It is also wonderful for our visitors and our prospective families coming to the community,” Estes said.

For more information about The Thread, visit Thethreadtrail.org/about/.