Words such as “amazed” and “wonderful” were used frequently Wednesday by members of a city recreation group while touring a greenway under construction along the Ararat River.

Although the trail won’t be completed and open to the public until early next year, much of its nearly two-and-a-half-mile route has been paved — allowing a sneak preview by Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Commission members.

Unlike the city’s first greenway that meanders along Lovills Creek through a number of commercial developments on the western side of town, the new pathway to run from Riverside Park to B.H. Tharrington Primary School is heavily forested and much more secluded.

Largely following the course of the Ararat River, the second greenway offers a getaway by opening up a chunk of Mount Airy real estate that most people are unaware of, tour participants agreed.

“You can get down here and not even know that you’re in town,” said Nancy Dixon, the chairman of the city recreation group, one of those who donned walking shoes to check out the new facility.

George Speight, another commission member, was equally impressed by his first look at the trail.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Speight said while strolling along the asphalt path under a canopy of trees, “especially the natural growth and all.”

The greenway is part of a project to restore banks of the Ararat River which have been ravaged by erosion.

In addition to rehabilitating streambanks, the project presented the opportunity to develop recreational facilities along the river, which will include canoe and kayak access points. Improvements to Riverside Park also are part of the effort.

The centerpiece of the greenway will be the H.B. Rowe Environmental Park, a facility near Mount Airy Middle School to include nature trails and habitats that will aid science studies. From Riverside Park, the trail’s route passes under a bridge on Hamburg Street and continues through Bannertown to the Tharrington campus. Four covered picnic shelters are located along the way.

“We are blessed to have this,” Dixon said of the opportunities the trail offers for local youths, walkers, joggers, cyclists, fishermen, picnickers, canoeists/kayakers and others.

“There’s a very high percentage of people in this town who don’t know what they’re getting,” added Ben Cooke of the parks and recreation group.

Dixon said she expects the new greenway to be heavily used, based on the tremendous popularity of the Lovills Creek trail. “I am amazed at the resources we have here,” she added during Wednesday’s walk. “This is the kind of thing that when people come from other cities, this will attract them.”

Construction began in late March on the Ararat River restoration project, which Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Director Catrina Alexander said is costing more than $4 million. The city government is supplying $1 million toward the work, with the rest coming from various non-local sources.

With the job more than 60 percent complete, the greenway is expected to open in early 2010, depending on how weather affects construction schedules.

Heavy equipment was at work Wednesday while the tour was under way, which included sections of red dirt along with pavement.

“A lot of that area along the route will be allowed to grow up,” city Public Services Director Jeff Boyles said of the natural foliage that will be abundant. “So it won’t look like it is now.”

Alexander pointed out Wednesday that while Mount Airy has lost numerous industries in recent years, the new greenway underscores the fact that the city still boasts natural resources that won’t be outsourced.

“This is truly a community project that will benefit everybody,” said Dixon.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.