Answers provided at virtual hearing on rails to trails study
By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
About 20 members of the public attended a virtual Zoom meeting Thursday night to hear more about the rails to trails feasibility study.
Dennis Martinak of D. Martinak Planning and Consulting led the discussion about the proposed Mon Valley Coal and Steel Heritage Trail.
The study has been paid for through grants the Borough of Donora applied for at the urging of state Rep. Bud Cook’s office.
Cook didn’t speak or have a representative speak on his behalf at the meeting, but there were a couple of questions about him.
Someone asked if Cook is still involved in the project.
Martinak said Cook is still involved and they have been in contact with his office. He said they’ve talked to members of the feasibility study team along the way.
Cook initially pitched the project to Donora in the early months of his first term in 2017 and his former staffer Jason White followed up with council through its grant application processes.
This meeting was the first public presentation and Martinak wanted to get the concept of the trail out there while also explaining what people should expect from the feasibility study.
Martinak said the idea of a trail following the Norfolk Southern Railroad corridor, from Marianna to Monongahela, started in 2007 as part of the Washington County Greenways plan.
“It’s been around a long while,” Martinak said.
Through the efforts of Donora council, borough staff and Cook’s staffers, two grants totaling $100,000 from the departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Community and Economic Development were awarded to get a feasibility study done.
In addition to D. Martinak Planning and Consulting, the feasibility study team includes Downstream Strategies, McCollom Development Strategies, Wallace Pancher Group, K2 Engineering and T3 Global Strategies.
The organizations are working to determine if a pedestrian and bike trail from Marianna to Monongahela, with a possible extension to Donora, is possible physically and economically.
The grants also cover the cost of two master site plans — one for Palmer Park in Donora and one for the Cokeburg Dam.
Martinak said the study focuses on the Norfolk Southern rail line. The study will determine if a complete trail is possible, if smaller standalone projects are more likely or if no parts of the trail are feasible.
Martinak said the team has completed mapping the corridor, field views, looked at any potential environmental issues, noted utility crossings, tracked any natural or historic features along the corridor including points of interest and any surrounding land issues.
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