Community Leaders Celebrate the 10-year Impact of Rotary Trail and unveil its Next Chapter

RCB President Jeff Stone and Past President Bill Jones with David Fleming and Rotarians Libby Lassiter and Rusha Smith

This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) welcomed a panel of Rotary and community leaders for a presentation entitled “Rotary Trail’s Next Chapter.” The discussion featured Rotarian Libby Lassiter, Rotary Trail 10th Anniversary Task Force Chair; Past President Bill Jones, Rotary Trail Project Chair; Rotarian Rusha Smith, Executive Director of Freshwater Land Trust; and David Fleming, President & CEO of REV Birmingham. They reflected on the trail’s impact over the past decade and shared plans for its future.

The panel recounted how Rotary Trail began as RCB’s centennial project. What was once an abandoned and deteriorated railroad cut between 20th and 24th Streets on Birmingham’s southside was transformed into a four-block urban green space through a partnership involving the City of Birmingham, Freshwater Land Trust, REV Birmingham, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, and numerous community supporters. Since opening in 2016, the trail has become one of Birmingham’s most recognizable public spaces, serving as a destination for residents and visitors while helping reshape the landscape of downtown Birmingham.

Smith highlighted the trail’s role as the backbone of the larger Red Rock Trail System, which now includes 175 miles of connected trails throughout Jefferson County. She noted that the long-term vision is for every resident to have access to a trail or green space within one mile of their home. As a critical connection point within that network, Rotary Trail has helped demonstrate the value of walkable, bikeable infrastructure that supports recreation, transportation, health, and community connectivity.

Fleming discussed the trail’s impact on Birmingham’s urban core, with the initial $3.5 million investment resulting in over $79 million in economic impact to date. Since the trail’s completion, the surrounding area has seen significant private investment and redevelopment, helping transform the once-overlooked corridor into a vibrant destination. He emphasized that projects such as the Rotary Trail, Railroad Park, and Regions Field have strengthened Birmingham’s identity, enhanced quality of life, and contributed to the city’s ability to attract residents, visitors, businesses, and talent.

The panel unveiled plans for the next phase of the Rotary Trail: the development of a new eastern gateway at 24th Street. The proposed project would transform the underutilized space beneath the 24th Street Bridge into a welcoming trailhead featuring green space, gathering areas, public art, dedicated parking, and enhanced lighting. The project will improve access, safety, user experience, and connections to surrounding neighborhoods and the broader Red Rock Trail System while creating an eastern entrance that complements the trail’s iconic western gateway.

Jones announced plans to raise $1.5 million to fund the eastern gateway project and refresh portions of the existing trail, with construction planned to be completed by the end of 2027. Panelists emphasized that, just as the original Rotary Trail represented a transformational investment in Birmingham’s future, this next chapter offers an opportunity for Rotary to continue shaping the city through partnerships, connectivity, and community-focused development.

Panelist Bios

David Fleming serves as REV Birmingham’s President and CEO, where he casts the vision for REV and represents goals and values to the city of Birmingham, build an impactful team delivering on the mission, and gain the resources to support REV’s work.  As a native of the Birmingham area, Fleming has a deep love for the city, its history, and its promise. He want REV to be a driver of authentic growth in the city’s urban core so that the region is attractive to people around the nation and the world.

Bill Jones is a product of the Birmingham City Schools, having graduated from Banks High School. He received a degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Virginia. He enjoyed a career at O’Neal Industries, serving as President and CEO of O’Neal Steel and Vice Chairman of O’Neal Industries. He is a past President of RCB and co-chaired the committee that developed and built Rotary Trail.

Libby Lassiter is a principal at Tessa Commercial Real Estate, where she leads the firm’s municipal, nonprofit, and retail initiatives. She is an experienced real estate developer, investor, and broker with more than 17 years at Bayer Properties, where she most recently served as co-president prior to its sale in 2022. During her tenure, she led leasing and development for prominent mixed-use projects including The Summit Birmingham, The Pizitz, Summit Reno, and The Summit at Fritz Farm in Lexington. Her recent work includes The Hardwick, an adaptive reuse project on the Rotary Trail, and her current focus includes investment in and development of historic properties in Birmingham. Lassiter is deeply committed to community development and civic leadership. She chairs the Rotary Trail Task Force, collaborating with fellow Rotarians to guide the future of this important public space. She also serves as board chair of Common Thread, a nonprofit supporting mission-driven organizations in underserved neighborhoods, and serves on the boards of The Women’s Foundation and the Rotary Club of Birmingham Foundation. Through both her professional and civic work, Lassiter is dedicated to creating long-term value and strengthening the communities she serves.

Rusha Smith is a native of Anniston, Alabama. She attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and she returned to Birmingham in 1991 to attend Cumberland School of Law, from which she graduated in 1994. Upon completing judicial clerkships with Alabama Supreme Court Justice Janie Shores and U.S. District Court Judge Robert Propst, she started her litigation career at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (Bradley). After becoming a partner at Bradley and practicing law there for almost 25 years, she left private practice in June 2019 to join Freshwater Land Trust (FLT) as its Executive Director. In her role with that local nonprofit, she oversees a staff of nine employees while helping the organization further its mission to conserve, connect, and care for land and water in Central Alabama, creating dynamic green spaces for future generations. In the simplest terms, FLT protects environmentally significant land - especially land that is critical for the protection of rivers - and manages development of the Red Rock Trail System in Jefferson County, all in support of healthier and happier communities.