HELEN, Ga. –Richard Riley provided an update on the Helen to Hardman Heritage Trail at Tuesday’s Helen City Commission meeting.

“This has become way beyond what any of us thought could ever be developed, a really quality venue,” he said.

The 4,400-foot long concrete walkway is a Department of Natural Resources project that will connect the City of Helen to Hardman Farm Historic Site. It will be about 8 to 10-feet wide and will run along an old railroad bed on DNR property overlooking the Chattahoochee River. “We have a beautiful design with beautiful stone benches where you can sit and look out over the river and Nora Mills, an iconic spot.”

The $1.5 million project is being designed by Marietta-based Freedman Engineering Group and funded primarily by the state but with some help from White County and the City of Helen. It will be handicapped accessible with no motorized vehicles permitted. There will also be signs along the way that explain the area’s rich history.

“The more people we’ve talked to the more excited they have become,” Riley said. “This is a project that reflects very, very positively on the Sautee Nacoochee Valley heritage.”

Riley said requests for proposals (RFP) to build the trail will go out at the end of this month, a contractor will be chosen in May and he expects the trail to be completed by next Spring.