FLORENCE—An open community meeting on the proposed Tennessee RiverLine will be 5-7 p.m., Thursday, July 18, in the Singing River Room at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.
Organizers said that everyone in Colbert and Lauderdale counties is invited to the meeting. Participants will learn about and give input on the Shoals section of the trail system, which is a series of paddling, hiking and biking experiences along the Tennessee River’s 652 miles.
The idea for the RiverLine began with the University of Tennessee’s School of Landscape Architecture in 2016. The Tennessee RiverLine Partnership and UT, which manage the project, recently named the Shoals one of five pilot communities along with Roane County, Tennessee; Bridgeport, Alabama; Benton County, Tennessee; and Paducah-McCraken County, Kentucky.
Attendees to the Shoals meeting, called 652 to YOU, will share feedback and 
ideas on river access and usage in the community through fun and interactive activities, said Carrie Crawford, director of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, which is one of the local Tennessee RiverLine sponsors. Registration for the meeting is at eventbrite.com. Those unable to attend can comment using an interactive survey at tnriverline.org/rivergauge.
“The development of the RiverLine in The Shoals will build upon the prosperity of our community—something that so many other cities and communities crave to attract new investment and talent,” said Rob Carnegie, president of the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “A development initiative like the Tennessee RiverLine will not only benefit tourism, but also every resident that wants a more vibrant place to live and work.”
The Tennessee RiverLine team is visiting and holding community meetings in all five pilot communities this summer. In the Shoals, team members will tour the area, meet with community leaders and advocates and host a community river clean-up, 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, July 18, at Sheffield Riverfront Park.
For more information about the Tennessee RiverLine, visit tnriverline.org or e-mail info@tnriverline.org. Follow the RiverLine on Twitter and Instagram (@tnRiverLine) and Facebook (@tnRiverLine652).
Media Release/Cathy Wood, media coordinator Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area
