Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter November 2006

Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter
November 2006

It’s Wednesday 22 November 2006. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU! Here is the news about trails in the Miami Valley. Please read on.

Trail Construction and Improvements.	Website Changes and Improvements
Photos Wanted Section	Did You Know Department
Announcements of Upcoming Cycling Events

Trail Construction and Improvements

New Trail Plan For Clark County – At the November meeting of the Clark County Trails Task Force, the 2005 Clark County Trail Plan was updated. This plan will be available in draft form on the Clark County Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC) from the second week of December 2006 to January 2007 when the finished plan will be presented to the TCC. The TCC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that does all of the transportation planning (including bicycle planning) for Clark County. The Bicycle Plan when accepted will be used as a planning guide to add projects to the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) which is the document for plans that will be accomplished. See their website at http://www.clarktcc.com/biketrails.htm

Website Changes and Improvements

Crains Run Nature Park to Franklin Trail Opened - I added a new webpage for the 3.7 miles of trail that was dedicated in Franklin 28 October. This brings the total Great Miami River Recreation Trail (GMRRT) that is being built from Sidney in Shelby County to the City of Fairfield in Butler County to about 51 miles. When complete the GMRRT which will transit Shelby, Miami, Montgomery, Warren and Butler counties, will be some 90 miles long. About another 19 miles of trail are funded. Planning and funding are needed for about 21 more miles which go into the 90 mile total length of the trail. The total miles of trail in the Miami Valley now stands at 268. See the page for the listed mileage for every trail in Southwest Ohio.
Iron Horse Trail Extended in Kettering - The City of Kettering has added about 1.7 miles more to the Iron Horse Trail. The current construction starts at the end of the current trail at Research Blvd and Patterson Road in Beavercreek. The trail runs alongside Countyline Road to just past the Ohio National Guard Armory where it becomes a dedicated trail that goes into State Farm Park. The trail runs thought the park and ends at Vale Drive at the old swimming pool. I’ve taken new pictures and updated the Iron Horse Trail webpage to reflect this new construction.

When this trail is completed it will be about 9.2 miles long from the Creekside Trail where it begins and will run through Beavercreek, Kettering and end at I-675 South of Iron Horse Park in Centerville. The City of Centerville recently received a $200K Clean Ohio Grant to build the trail from I-675 through Iron Horse Park to the City of Kettering border at Hempstead Station Drive, about 1.88 miles. The current construction in Kettering will be completed about Thanksgiving 2006 when the bridge over the Little Beaver Creek that runs through State Farm Park is completed.

Photos Wanted Section

Nothing new at this time. See my August 2006 Newsletter for needed photos.

Did You Know Department

Train Show At Hara Arena- The 32nd. Edition of the Dayton Train Show was held at Hara Arena 4-5 November 2006. Once again I was asked to come to discuss what happens when a railroad abandons a right-of-way and then a County Parks Department or city buys that railbed to make a railtrail. I attended both days and gave out over 200 maps of the Miami Valley trails area. Many trail show participations are interested in using our 268 mile (and growing) “Miami Valley Trail System” as I am beginning to call it. For more information please see: http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/03/ddn110406trains.html
Mountain Biking in Ohio – You know that I have told you what I could find out about mountain biking in the area. I announced that Five Rivers MetroParks was building a trail in Huffman MetroPark. Perhaps I also told you in a previous newsletter that there was a trail in John Bryant State Park. I found out recently that there is a website for mountain biking in Ohio. Please see http://www.joinomba.org for all the details. They are having a mountain bike work day on 18 November at 10AM at Huffman MetroPark. I have added a link from my Links Page to the OMBA.
Miami County Parks Starts Trail Monitor Program - The Miami County Parks Department announced in the Dayton Daily News on 16 November 2006 that they were starting a group of volunteers to ride the growing system of trails in Miami County. CPR and First Aid Training will be offered to the volunteers by the Piqua Fire Department. The Troy Fire Department will also help with bicycle training. Volunteers will need to provide their own bikes. About 20 monitors will be selected to start the program. More can be added if needed.
For more information on the volunteer program, contract Ms. Jennifer Weiskittle the park district volunteer coordinator, at (937) 667-1286.

As many of you know Five Rivers MetroParks (Montgomery County) has had a trail volunteer program for some years. Greene County Parks has restarted their program and I became a member this year, and in my September 2006 newsletter I told you that Clark County was starting a program of their own. They are still looking for a "few good men and woman" to ride the trails in Clark County. Persons interested in volunteering for the Sentry program in Clark County should contact the National Trail Parks Office on Mitchell Blvd, in Springfield Oh. Phone 937-328-7275 Mon-Fri between the hours of 7:00AM-5:00PM. I am working with Hamilton County and the Little Miami Scenic Park (ODNR) to establish similar programs.

Announcements of Upcoming Cycling Events
(Also See Events Page )

Nothing new this month. Cycling events are about over for the season.

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 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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