Persistence, Dedication,and Riding Elephants Brings Grant Funding to Campus and Community of Martin, Tennessee

Martin,TN- The NWTN  reports on $310,000.00 Tennessee Department of Transportation Grant to Assist UT Martin's Brian Brown Memorial Greenway Initiative connecting Town to Gown safely. The campus of UT Martin and community recently celebrated a vision becoming a reality with the family of Brian Brown. City Official David Belote explains "Some of the folks that have been a part of this had to ride elephants to make this happen," he said. Dr. Tim Johnston, now a Murray State faculty member and past president of the Brian Brown Greenway Foundation, Inc., brought his family to join the celebration. He recalled greenway volunteers experiencing "lots of emotional ups and downs," including the first grant application that was turned down in 2003. He said that greenway volunteers decided, "We need to raise the priority and the visibility of Martin's project. There's a big stack of these applications in Nashville." So, he said they asked a group of bike riders, led by UT Martin chemistry professor Phil Davis, to ride bicycles from Martin to Nashville to personally deliver the second grant application to TDOT officials. This step, combined with the support of many elected officials, resulted in approval of the grant a year later. Belote closed by thanking the university, the city of Martin, TLM Associates of Jackson and many others for their efforts. He reported 49 businesses and civic groups, plus 134 individuals who have made significant contributions to the project.