Ann and Larry Hurley entered Rock Creek Park near Gainesville’s downtown Tuesday with the intention of walking straight to Lake Lanier.

There was a tree-covered paved path nearly every step of the way.

Only minutes before the Hurleys showed up for their exercise, city officials held an "ivy cutting" at the entrance of Rock Creek Park, and dedicated a new addition to the city’s "greenway" system that connects Rock Creek Park downtown to Ivey Terrace Park — the Rock Creek Greenway.

The Ivey Terrace Greenway connects to Wilshire Trails, which connects to Longwood Park at Lake Lanier.

"We like this new addition; we’ve been watching it for the last five months," said Larry Hurley.

But with the addition of the Rock Creek Greenway, the Hurleys can park their cars near downtown Gainesville and walk straight to the lake, or vice versa.

"It’s better than just working out in the basement," Larry Hurley said.

Linking the lake to downtown Gainesville has been part of a master plan for Gainesville’s Parks and Recreation Department for nearly 20 years, said department director Melvin Cooper.

The city spent nearly $2 million in state Department of Transportation grants meant for alternative transportation and another $510,000 in local money, including private donations, meeting the goals of the master plan.

Tuesday, when Cooper addressed city and state DOT officials who had gathered for a barbecue dinner near the park’s new outdoor amphitheater, he made note of the public-private partnerships that made the greenway possible.

"Friends, both public and private, have come together today to celebrate the dedication of the completion of yet another phase of the Rock Creek Greenway, born of a partnership of unity and a ray of hope that our community becomes more connected," he said.