Groundwork Jacksonville receives $1M donation that moves up Emerald trail finish date

The former owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars Delores and Wayne Weaver made a $1 million donation to Groundwork Jacksonville to help fund the $434.5 million Emerald Trail project.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

This is the largest private donation the organization has received in history. The CEO of the nonprofit told Action News Jax that private contributions like this help speed up project deadlines.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks ]

“Having private money has kept the project going,” CEO of Groundwork Jacksonville Kay Ehas said. “It has been critical of why we are 40% underway.”

Ehas mentioned the Weaver family is behind this project because they have the same vision for Riverside’s development.

“The emerald trail is connecting 14 urban history black neighborhoods. Our vision is that those neighborhoods with residents are the architects of that revitalization.”

RELATED: Jacksonville officials open first part of Emerald Trail

The donation is part of Delores Barr Weaver’s Legacy 2024 grantmaking plan which included a $61 million contribution to her donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation, the largest in the foundation’s history.

The money will fund the design of the Riverside Link. Ehas also provided an update on the other sections of the trial.

“Hogan’s creek segment 2 will be under construction later this summer. McCoy Creek phase 1 restoration is almost done.”

The rest of the money will go towards the maintenance of this trail, according to Ehas.

RELATED: JTA, Groundwork Jacksonville secures $147 million federal grant for Emerald Trail construction

She also said she sees this trail project to be complete before 2030 which is ahead of schedule.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter ]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.