Tim Doherty
Doherty, Tim. 2013. Land donated for Longleaf Trace. Hattiesburg American.
August 26:
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20130827/NEWS01/308270005/Lan
d-donated-Longleaf-Trace
Land donated for Longleaf Trace
August 26, 2013
Like the pieces of a puzzle being locked into place, the middle section of the
Longleaf Trace that will run through the neighborhoods of Hattiesburg along
West Fourth Street is coming together.
The city added another piece when Hercules Inc. donated about a half acre of
land just north of West Fourth, at the intersection of West Fifth Street and Rawls
Avenue.
The land, which used to serve as part of a tie-in for a rail spur that connected the
former Hercules plant on West Seventh Avenue with the Mississippi Central
Railroad, will serve as a 330-foot connector between the Rails-to-Trails project
and West Fifth Street.
“This parcel of land fills the final gap in the trails system that connects Longleaf
Trace to downtown Hattiesburg,” city engineer Bert Kuyrkendall said in
statement. “People will soon be able to walk or bike from downtown to the zoo,
from (the University of Southern Mississippi) to Chain Park.”
Work is continuing on the main artery that will connect the gateway at USM to
downtown Hattiesburg. That main line will follow along the rail line that parallels
West Fourth Street to the north.
The Longleaf Trace, the largest Rails-to-Trails development in the state, currently
runs 41 miles from Hattiesburg to Prentiss. The USM-downtown Hattiesburg leg
will add another three to four miles to the Trace.
The former Hercules plant, which opened in 1923, produced various products,
including resins, pesticides and synthetic rubber. It was bought in 2008 by
Ashland Inc., which closed the facility in 2009.
In 2011, groundwater, soil and sediment samples taken at the 200-acre site by
the Environmental Protection Agency turned up benzene and other hazardous
materials. In 2012, 11 Hattiesburg plaintiffs sued in federal court over the
pollution.
The donated property for the Trace sits south of the plant’s main property.
“We’re happy to be able to help enhance the Longleaf Trace through the
donation of the old railroad spur tie-in property across the street from the former
Hercules plant,” Ashland corporate communications director Gary Rhodes said in
statement. “Hopefully, this addition, when completed, will attract even more
walkers, runners and bikers to the popular Trace.”