Tuscaloosa’s Northern Riverwalk to expand 6.65 acres thanks to generous family donation

Nature lovers of Tuscaloosa, you have a new reason to celebrate. The City of Tuscaloosa has accepted a generous 6.65-acre land donation of riverfront property from the Randall family. The property, valued at over $1.9 million, will be used to expand the Northern Riverwalk adjacent to the Randall Family Park & Trailhead. Read on to learn more.

Expanding a Tuscaloosa favorite

When you’re in Tuscaloosa, the Riverwalk is a must-visit with its paved trailway for walking, biking or roller blading, beautiful views and more. But it’s about to get even better thanks to this new land donation from the Randall family.

This new land donation is part of the Northern Riverwalk project, which will extend what is currently a 0.6-mile riverwalk at the Randall Family Park and Trailhead to the northeast.

“On behalf of the City of Tuscaloosa, I’d like to express our sincere gratitude to the Randall family, who have now donated over 25 acres of property valued at over $4.6 million to make the Northern Riverwalk a reality. They gave us the head start initially to get this project going, and this additional donation will allow us to make it an even more outstanding investment for our community.”

Mayor Walt Maddox, City of Tuscaloosa

A generous donation

Previously, the Randall family donated 19 acres of land valued at $2.72 million for phase one of the City’s Elevate Tuscaloosa Northern Riverwalk project.

Started in 2019, Elevate Tuscaloosa aims to invest $500 million dollars over the next 30 years into bold projects that will create a brighter future for Tuscaloosa.

The Randall Family Park & Trailhead broke ground in February 2021, and opened in early January of this year. It features green space, river-viewing areas, a recreational path, a pavilion and a playground. In this most recent donation, the Randall family has gifted Tuscaloosa with an additional 6.65 acres of riverfront property.

The five donors of the Randall family gift are:

• Bootsey Birthright
• Frank C. Randall
• Jim Allen Randall
• Pettus Randall IV
• Annette Spigener

“My family has countless fond memories of our hometown. It is therefore with great appreciation that we make this gift of riverfront property to the people of Tuscaloosa so that everyone can enjoy nature and the beautiful view of the river. I’m sure that, as they did in the first phase of the park, the City of Tuscaloosa will once again surprise us beyond our imagination in this next phase of the park and walking trail. Thank you so much for allowing our family to be a part of making this dream come true.”

Frank Randall

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