Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter April 2008

Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter
April 2008

It’s Wednesday 15 April 2008! Have you paid your taxes yet? By now, most of you have at least gotten out your bikes are started getting them tuned up for riding. I take mine to a bike shop. I hope if you are already riding, you have tried some of our new trails. Here is the news about trails in the Miami Valley. Please read on.

Trail Construction and Improvements.	Website Changes and Improvements
Photos & Information Wanted Section	Did You Know Department
Announcements of Upcoming Cycling Events	Webpage of the Month

Trail Construction and Improvements

Trails Development in Miami County – The Miami County Trails Task Force plans to have all 22 miles of the main North to South route of trail from Sidney in Shelby County South to Taylorsville MetroPark in Montgomery County completed by 2010 or 2011. Trails to be built this year are as follows:
- Section 3 GMRRT - What is called Section 3 from Tipp City Parks Nature Center North about 1.4 miles to connect with the existing trail in Concord Township (Section 1). This section is planned to be completed Summer 2008. This will connect Section 2 which extends North to the existing trail in Troy so after Summer 2008 Section 3 will connect North to Section 1 which connects to Section 2 to Troy. This section is very important since it connects Tipp City to Troy.
- Tipp City Section 10 - Tipp City will build about a ½ mile of trail from Canal Locks Park South to Kyle Park. Bids have been opened and it will be completed Summer 2008. There is an existing trail South from the Tipp City Parks Nature Center to City Park and currently ends at Canal Locks Park.
  Because of this 2008 trail construction you will be able to ride from Kyle Park, which is South of downtown Tipp City North to Canal Locks Park, City Park and the Nature Center in Tipp City to Section 1 alongside Dye Mill Road to the Big Four bridge, Miami Shores Golf Center North via Section 2 to the existing trail in Troy.
Trails Development in Montgomery County - Trail from Triangle MetroPark to Taylorsville MetroPark (7.5 miles) will be completed Summer of 2008. If was started Summer 2007 and runs North along the river, until it gets to the railroad bridge and then runs North through the Industrial Park to Wagoner Ford Road. The trail follows Wagoner Ford Road North past the Kittyhawk Golf Center and then turns East and go under the Great Miami River Bridge on Needmore Road. On the North side it will finally connect with the existing trail that continues through Taylorsville MetroPark to its Northern boundary at Old Springfield Road. Eventually the trail through Miami County which is properly called the Great Miami River Recreation Trail (Miami County).
Trails Development in Greene County – In Greene County this year the Xenia-Jamestown Connector will be completed to the Fayette County line. This trail was also started in 2007 and will be completed this year. The existing trail is 7.7 miles and the new construction will add another 4.3 miles of trail. In 2011, the trail will be finally finished to the Xenia Station and will be 16.5 miles from there East to the Fayette County line. It is hoped that the Tri-County Triangle Trail (the group that is building the trail in Fayette, Ross and Highland County can expedite connection from Washington Court House (Fayette County Seat) West to connect with the Xenia-Jamestown Connector.

Website Changes and Improvements

Emergency Telephone Numbers (Who Are You Going To Call -In an Emergency) - Last month I added this page. It provides you with the correct telephone numbers to call in an emergency or other problem while on a trail in Montgomery, Greene, Clark, Champaign and Warren counties. This month I modified it slightly to add more information. Print it and carry it with your cell phone while out on a trail.
Upcoming Trail Events - This month I added a lot of new information to the Announcements of Upcoming Events (see below). Now is the time that cycling events are starting in the Miami Valley. There are periodic rides with "Trail Guardians or Sentinels" (Volunteer cyclists for Five Rivers MetroParks and Greene County Parks) as well as "Bike with a Ranger". I am getting announcements for rides like Calvin's Challenge and Young's Ice Cream Charity Bike Tour. Check them out for something different to do this Summer!
Updated Approved Projects page with MVRPC updates - I have had for some time, a page that shows the funding status and expected date of construction of all the projects in the Miami Valley. This month I added new information from the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission for projects funded in the last cycle.

Photos & Information Wanted Department

None this month.

Did you Know Department?

Clean Ohio Fund Update Meetings - "Building Ohio Jobs Bond Package" - The Ohio Parks & Recreation Association and the League of Conservation Voters Ed Fund is sponsoring a set of state wide meetings to discuss the renewal of the Clean Ohio Fund. As you may remember, we voted on it some years ago to provide funds for conservation and other purposes. One of the most important one to us is funding for multi-use trails. The closest meeting to the Miami Valley is Troy, Ohio. The meeting will be held Tuesday April 29, 2008 at the Hayner Cultural Center - 301 West Main Street, Troy. Tickets are free but registration is required. Click Here or above to download an print the registration package. The more people we have at the Troy meeting to support bicycle trail construction the better.

Announcements of Upcoming Events

See Upcoming Events Area

Greene Trails Cycling Classic - This wonderful family event will start and end at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. See their website for more information.
Troy Classic Bicycle Races (19 July 2008 Troy) - It's not too soon to think about attending Troy's bicycle races. I'll have more data about it on the Events Page as I get it.
Five Rivers MetroParks "Bike For the Health Of It" - Rides with a volunteer ( All Summer)
Greene County Parks "Greenway Getaways" - Rides with a volunteer (All Summer)

Webpage of the Month

This Month's Page is the Table of Contents Page - How many of you look at the Table of Contents page of a book before you read it? I do it sometimes, to get an idea of what the author is going to tell me. As the old preacher once said when asked about how he constructed his sermons, "First I tell them what I'm going to tell them, Them I tell them the lesson, and then I tell them what I just told them." In the same way, if you are told something three times, perhaps you'll remember it. So a review of my Table of Contents is instructive. On the left side of the page are all the trails that I report on in alphabetic order. You'll notice that some of them are not built, but are only in some stage of planning. You will not find those trails on my Home Page since they are only planned. Next to the alphabetical list, is the trail that this one connects to or a list of the trail segments. Take a look at the Little Miami Scenic Trail in the list. You will note that I have 10 webpages for this trail. To the right are other pages on the website that are important to you. So. Take a look at my Site Map , which is a Internet term for a Table of Contents. You may learn something! (Reprinted from Sept. 2007

Regards to all,

Thomas J. Recktenwalt
Webmaster
Miami Valley RailTrails
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org

If you find these newsletters and my Miami Valley RailTrails website of use to you, please pass the information on to your friends and neighbors who might enjoy our Miami Valley Trails System, the wonderful system of multi-use trails in Southwest Ohio. Then they can write me and get on the mailing list to get their own copy of this newsletter. Our trail system is wonderful for walking, running, in-line skating, birding, fishing and cycling and on some trails horseback riding. You see more wildlife from one of our trails than most anyplace else. All of my newsletters are posted to my website at the same time I send you this text version. The URL for your use is: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/join_our_mailing_list.htm

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For more information on each Web Page or Trail click on its name.