December 16, 2022

The City of Tuscaloosa has accepted a generous land donation from the Randall family that will be used to expand the Northern Riverwalk adjacent to the Randall Family Park & Trailhead.

The donation consists of 6.65 acres of riverfront property valued at over $1.9 million. 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.

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, a playground and more.

“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,” Mayor Walt Maddox said. “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.”

The five donors of the Randall family gift of riverfront property to the City are Annette Spigener, Bootsey Birthright, Frank C. Randall, Jim Allen Randall and Pettus Randall IV.

The newly donated land will be used in the future to extend what is currently a 0.6-mile riverwalk at the Randall Family Park and Trailhead to the northeast.

“My family has countless fond memories of our hometown,” Frank Randall said. “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.”

Learn more about the Northern Riverwalk project here.