Published: June 05, 2008 10:11 pm      

Oak Hill to cut ribbon Saturday on Rails-to-Trails

OAK HILL — City, county and state representatives — as well as the general public — have been invited to attend a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White Oak Rails-to-Trails at 11 a.m. Saturday at the depot in town, Oak Hill Mayor Bill Hannabass announced.

In fact, Hannabass and Fayetteville Mayor Jim Akers have agreed to a bicycle race that day to illustrate the trail’s ability to beckon kids — and kids at heart.

“I plan on going 25 to 30 miles per hour,” Hannabass quipped of the race. “I would like to have a parade of bikes, where you can decorate your bike and have a contest for the best decorated bike.”

The trail has been open to the public since last fall, but Saturday’s ceremony makes it official, Hannabass explained.

Two miles of the 7-mile trail have been paved for about a month now. More features — and miles — are expected to be added as time and money come along. Crosswalks, a memorial park, lighting, shelters, benches and trash receptacles are in the works, as well.

The paving cost $150,000 and $75,000 went toward purchasing 7 miles of the trail corridor from Norfolk Southern. All of that money has come from state grants applied for by the Fayette County Commission, which technically still owns the trail.

Friday, Hannabass plans to approach commissioners and ask that they convey the trail to the city “so we can take care of any problems as speedily as possible,” he noted.

The trail begins at Woodbridge Road and proceeds on a gentle slope toward Jones Avenue. It crosses Jones Avenue in front of Collins Middle School and continues on a parallel with Virginia Street down to the depot. After that, the trail crosses Virginia Street in the curve near the Holiday Inn. From there, a gravel trail moves on to Lochgelly.

There is a touch of irony in the fact that the trail passes the Holiday Inn. Funding for the trail’s maintenance comes from the city’s portion of a hotel-motel tax increase that took effect several months ago. Hannabass insisted — and city council agreed — that the money be earmarked toward this specific line item in Oak Hill’s budget.

“We’ve budgeted $28,000 this year for the rail-trail. I can’t think of a better way to spend hotel-motel tax dollars than a rail-trail. It is significant to me because we have a dedicated revenue (source) for this for years to come. We hope to leverage that as much as possible. I think that’s our commitment,” he said.

To underscore his point, Hannabass recalled that the West Virginia Trail Association chose to have its annual statewide conference in Oak Hill last March — before the trail was even paved.

“They chose Oak Hill because we had a project in its infancy. They had 70 rooms rented at Holiday Inn for this conference.”

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The trail has taken a long and winding road to reach this juncture, Hannabass emphasized, heaping praise on two particular people without whom the trail may have never come to fruition — Beth Gardner and the late Bud Hill.

Hill, who passed away a couple of years ago, will have a memorial bench and rest area dedicated to his memory at Saturday’s celebration. Gardner, an Oak Hill resident and volunteer with the project, works with Valley College in Beckley. It was she who navigated the labyrinth of deed research and property purchases along the railroad corridor.

The trail does have a few rules and suggestions. While it will be open at all times of the day and year, Hannabass stated that no all-terrain vehicles or motorcycles are permitted.

The only motorized vehicles allowed are ambulances, police cars and maintenance vehicles. In addition, motorized conveyances that are specifically designed for — and utilized by — handicapped people may be used on the trail.

“Courtesy goes a long way,” Hannabass added, urging pet owners to clean up after their pets when they walk them.

Hannabass is seeking volunteers to cut weeds, pick up trash and do other activities to keep the trail looking nice.

For more information on how to get involved, call him at 469-9541 or e-mail oakhillmayor@suddenlinkmail.com.

— E-mail: mhill@register-herald.com