Elkins Area Shared Trails Announces Trail Plan
Dozens of community members filled Big Timber Brewing’s new tap room on Tuesday evening to learn more about a trail development plan that has been created for Elkins. Produced by a group of local stakeholders and trail advocates known as Elkins Area Shared Trails (EAST), with support from the City of Elkins, Woodlands Development and Lending, and WVU’s Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, the plan proposes over 11 miles of multi-purpose, single track trail on four properties in or adjacent to Elkins.
The master plan was designed to link Elkins’ residential neighborhoods to natural surface trails and to facilitate quality of life improvements for area residents. It features diverse, sustainable trail opportunities to encourage users of all ages and abilities to spend more time outside and active. The proximity of these trails to downtown also will influence business growth and economic development as they will encourage visitors to stay longer and explore more.
The plan accounts for trails that already exist and will be able to be built in phases to allow for flexible funding strategies. EAST is actively pursuing grants and opportunities to begin implementation and hopes to have dirt moved and trails open within the next 2-3 years.
EAST’s Jessica Sutton was thrilled by the show of community support on Tuesday evening, saying, “This strong showing of support will help ensure the successful development a high quality trail system. We are lucky to be nestled in a valley with rugged and varied topography, adjoining over a million acres of National Forest. EAST hopes to take advantage of these natural features to enable the creation of the local trail system that the Elkins community deserves.”
EAST is planning a series of community events to learn more about the project. All are welcome to join them at the Randolph County Humane Society on Friday, November 17th at 10am for a dog walk on the Darby Farm property. This is an opportunity to learn more about the trails planned on this parcel and meet your neighbors who are already involved in EAST.
EAST is a local volunteer organization whose mission is to bring people together through the development and stewardship of multi-purpose human powered trail systems. Find more information on their Facebook page @ElkinsAreaSharedTrails .
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