Group plans to start next phase of Wadsworth Trail to historic Anderson Mill

Work is expected to start soon on the next phase of the Wadsworth Trail along Anderson Mill Road on Spartanburg’s west side.

The two-mile segment will connect with a dozen neighborhoods near Interstate 26 to Anderson Mill Elementary School, churches, the North Tyger River and the reconstructed Anderson Mill.

Anderson Mill is a historic water-powered gristmill on the North Tyger River near Fairmont in Spartanburg County. The mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 1978. It is also the birthplace of Spartanburg County government.

Laura Ringo, executive director of Partners for Active Living, asked Spartanburg County Council Monday to release $100,000 already budgeted for trails projects.

According to Ringo, the 10-foot-wide trail segment will cost $965,984, and the Spartanburg Area Transportation Study (SPATS) already has committed $800,000.

“PAL is requesting an additional $100,000 from Spartanburg County Parks to complete the 20 percent match that is required to use the SPATS air quality mitigation funds,” Ringo wrote in her funding request.

Last year, another extension of the Wadsworth Trail opened, connecting neighborhoods on Oak Grove Road near West View Elementary School.

That trail segment was funded by the Westside Neighborhood Association, OneSpartanburg and Mark III Properties.