Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter March 2004

Dear Readers: It's almost Spring! By the calendar Spring will begin about 21 March 2004. However the weather still isn't nice enough to go for a ride. But now onto news.

Centerville-Washington Township Park District Plans Trails Recently in our Bulletin Board on the MSN website where I post these newsletters and use as a vehicle to e-mail them to you, there was some information about the fact that the Park District has asked its citizens their thoughts about trails in the area. One of our members wrote the Park District and got this reply.

"Mr. Morrisey-We are in the process of soliciting input from the residents of Centerville and Washington Township. The Park District, along with the city and township have provided survey forms in their latest publications which were distributed to all residents. If you have not seen one of these survey forms, there is a copy that you can download from our website, www.cwpd.org.

Thank you for your interest.

Martha Shear-Lanese
Office Manager
Centerville-Washington Park District
221 North Main Street
Centerville, Ohio 45459
(937) 433-5155 Fax: (937)433-6564
web address: www.cwpd.org
e-mail address: mail@cwpd.org "

So if you live in the area and did not get a survey in the mail from the Centerville-Washington Park District click on the link to their website above, download, fill out and mail in the survey. Since they are asking for your input you should tell them what you think. I know what I'd say, but I don't live there.

If you go to their website and click on "Multi-Use Trail Opinion Survey you see the next page with this information about how the survey came about on it. At the bottom is the link to get the Adobe Acrobat survey.

"A new task force has been formed based upon input collected during the Create The Vision process where residents expressed desire to establish safe trails for non-motorized transportation. The task force is a cooperative effort between the Park District, City of Centerville, and Washington Township with representatives from these agencies and local residents. The goal is to develop a plan that will be adopted by the local three government entities.

Multi-use trails can be in the form of a widened designated bike lane, a paved shoulder area, a shared sidewalk, or a separate paved trail. Studies show that trail development stimulates local economies, increases local tax revenue, attracts tourists seeking new recreational opportunities, and revitalizes business districts. Trails also promote health and fitness by providing an enjoyable and safe place for bicycling, walking, jogging, etc.

The Multi-Use Trail Task Force is studying the feasibility of multi-use trails throughout the community and soliciting input from residents on areas that they would like to see addressed. The first goal is to survey residents to determine priorities. The survey will be included in the upcoming Park District News and Events, Town Crier, and the Washington Township Quarterly. It is also available to download below. After completing the survey, please mail, drop off, or fax (937-433-6564) it to the Park District Headquarters, 221 North Main Street, Centerville, Ohio 45459-4617."

So. Give them your opinion and Good Luck to the Centerville-Washington Park District!

Trail News - South Charleston to London Trail As I told you in past newsletters, the trail already built from Xenia to Cedarville and from Cedarville to South Charleston is a part of what is known as the "Ohio To Erie Trail." This trail will start in Cincinnati, encompass the Little Miami Scenic Trail and the trail from Xenia to London. It will be extended through Columbus and Akron and will finally arrive at Cleveland.

I have told you about the several lawsuits that have held up the building of the trail from South Charleston to London but those are finished now (hopefully). The trail will be built this year from South Charleston at the Train Station along US Route 42 following the railbed to Midway Street in London. It then will extend on to Wilson Road near Lilly Chapel. The Columbus Parks District will develop the trail from Wilson Road to downtown Columbus at a later date. I am told that construction started in January 2004 and bids will be let in March. Paving of the trail will begin when the weather is warm enough for asphalt paving. The Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails hope the trail will be ready to open by July 2004. They are still working on the best route through London connecting Midway and Maple Street. A shelter house is planned to be built nearby to the Madison County Senior Citizens Center on West High Street. I visited London in 2002 when it was hoped that construction would be complete in 2003. Please take a look at a very pretty town near Columbus in my London Trail Page. As they say locally; "On To London!"

Inappropriate Posts To Our Bulletin Board On another subject. Once in a while certain "individuals" post notes to our bulletin board that have absolutely nothing to do with bicycle trails. I get them off the MSN website as soon as I get the bulletin board post emailed to me. Those of you who have elected to see the posts to the bulletin board mailed to you get them as well. I apologize for the behavior of some people.

If you find these newsletters and my Miami Valley RailTrails website of use to you, pass the information on to your friends and neighbors who might enjoy our wonderful system of multi-use trails in Southwest Ohio. They are wonderful for walking, running, bladeing, birding and cycling. You see more wildlife from one of our trails.
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