Paces for Paces and the National Park We Keep Driving Past

Stephen Gentry on first dates, river miles, and a relay to help renew Paces Mill on the Chattahoochee

A national park is an easy thing to miss when you are concentrating on surviving the merge onto I-285. The Chattahoochee slips beneath the highway, the trees briefly interrupt the buildings, and then Atlanta resumes asking which lane you meant to be in.

Stephen Gentry would like us to take the exit.

At Paces Mill, just off Cobb Parkway south of I-285, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area offers a remarkably convenient escape from the roads surrounding it. Stephen has hiked there with his wife, Sara, and worked the river into half-marathon training. Now he is helping raise money to improve it through New Day Palisades, with a fundraising relay called Paces for Paces planned for November 7.

A first date and a very good long run

Before the fundraising plans and construction budgets, there was a walk with Sara. One of their earliest dates took them onto the trails along the Chattahoochee. Years later, hiking and running still bring them back.

When they trained for a half marathon a couple of years ago, they could leave their house, join the Bob Callan Trail, run into the national recreation area, follow the river and loop back through the Truist Park area. The route gave them roughly 13 miles, linking suburban streets, wooded trails, and the ballpark in one outing.

“We drive over it when we’re on 75. We drive over it on 285,” Stephen said. Unless we pay attention, we may never consider what is underneath.

He knows how different that access can feel. Stephen and Sara lived in New York City from 2011 to 2014, where a trip out to the countryside required considerably more planning. Here, a short drive can put them beside the river with time left to enjoy it. An afternoon outdoors shouldn’t require spending the afternoon getting there.

How a finance guy ended up working on a park

Stephen’s formal connection to the project began at work. He is Vice President and Controller at Genuine Parts Company, a longtime Cumberland property owner. When the company needed a representative for the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CCID) board, someone with a finance background who lived in the area sounded ideal. His boss knew exactly where to find one.

Stephen describes the assignment as being “voluntold.” He has loved it.

The Cumberland CID is funded through an additional tax paid by commercial property owners within its district. It works with public agencies on transportation, connectivity and improvements around the area that includes The Battery Atlanta and Cumberland Mall. If you use the Bob Callan Trail, you have already enjoyed one of its projects.

For Stephen, Paces Mill belongs in that same conversation about what makes Cumberland a place where people want to spend time. He calls it the district’s “front door.” That door happens to open onto a river.

Protecting a place that Atlanta grew around

On August 15, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation authorizing the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. As metro Atlanta expanded, that decision helped preserve access to a river corridor that could otherwise have looked very different.

Paces Mill is part of the park’s Palisades unit. It is a starting point for walks and runs, a place to eat lunch outside and an important takeout for people floating or paddling downstream. Regular visitors know its value. They also understand that, over time, even a beloved park’s infrastructure can deteriorate and no longer meet the needs of the community.

New Day Palisades brings together the Cumberland CID, nonprofit One Cumberland, and the National Park Service to renew Paces Mill. The first phase, a fully funded $6.3 million project completed in spring 2025, tackled some of the least glamorous and most necessary work.

Crews redesigned parking and traffic circulation, improved access for school buses and addressed drainage and erosion. A native meadow and planted drainage areas called bioswales help manage stormwater and protect the site.

Though drainage rarely inspires a commemorative T-shirt, it makes a big difference when heavy rain arrives. Those improvements help protect water quality  while making the park easier to use and maintain.

What the next phase would make possible

The proposed $9.5 million second phase centers on visitor experience. Plans include a new visitor information center, restrooms and changing facilities, an open-air pavilion and improved river access. Trail and picnic area enhancements also are part of the broader vision.

For someone arriving with children, visiting for the first time, or finishing a float, those facilities are much more impactful than the previous infrastructure improvements. The aim is to make enjoying the river easier while caring for the landscape people come to experience.

Construction is targeted for fall 2027, contingent on funding. Stephen says community participation matters alongside larger gifts. Foundations considering a contribution want evidence that the people who use a place are invested in its future. A modest donation helps demonstrate that support, even when the total budget has rather more zeroes.

Paces for Paces puts the board on the starting line

Stephen also is prepared to make fundraising a little more strenuous.

Paces for Paces is planned for Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. at Paces Mill. Two teams of 10 will compete in a 25K relay, about 15.5 miles per team. Stephen and Andrew Walker, a One Cumberland Board member, will captain the teams.

The event is designed to raise awareness and money for the project, with community representatives sharing running duties. Stephen cheerfully acknowledged the publicity-stunt element. For a project involving trails, asking its advocates to run on them seems fair.

Thirty minutes is enough to start

You do not need a relay team or a half-marathon training plan to find a reason to visit. Asked how he and Sara would spend a shorter window at Paces Mill, Stephen described a picnic, an easy walk and time sitting beside the water.

That may be the most useful invitation in this whole project. Bring lunch. Walk for a while. Explore the trails before your next trip across the bridge.

At Big Peach Running Co. East Cobb, we help people get ready for exactly this range of outings. Tell us whether your plans involve paved paths, uneven trails or a mix, and our team can help you compare shoes through our Fit Process. A comfortable afternoon on your feet is a perfectly good goal.

To support the improvements, visit New Day Palisades and select Give Now. Stephen also encourages people to visit and share their experience, even if a donation is not possible. After years of driving over the river, spending a little time beside it is a good place to begin.

FAQs about Paces Mill and Paces for Paces