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Funds targeted for trail system
Planning and fundraising continue for a 26-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail system that advocates hope to see get started in the spring.
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HUNTINGTON -- Planning and fundraising continue for a 26-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail system that advocates hope to see get started in the spring.
Word could come within the next few weeks whether the project will receive some or all of the more than $1.6 million in funds that have been requested to create the Paul Ambrose Trail for Health (or PATH), said Bob Plymale, director and chief executive officer of the Rahall Transportation Institute.
Local matches of more than $340,000 have been pledged, according to information from the institute.
The network of fitness trails will extend from Westmoreland to Guyandotte on the north and south sides of the city with connectors running east and west to connect the two sides to each and other and the downtown area.
The trail's namesake is the late son of local retirees Kenneth and Sharon Ambrose. Paul Ambrose was a young doctor who was killed at the Pentagon in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He died on American Airlines Flight 77 at age 32.
Plymale said the PATH project continues to be important, especially considering an Associated Press article last month calling the Huntington area the nation's "unhealthiest."
"That report heightened what we need to be doing in our region," said Plymale, a state senator.
Sharon Ambrose said she and her husband continue to be excited about the project. They agreed it may be more important now than ever, considering the state's poor health statistics. She said her son would be pleased by the local efforts.
Paul Ambrose was a senior clinical adviser for the surgeon general and was working on a project for rural health and obesity at the time of his death.
"He was such an advocate for exercise and improved diet and he practiced what he preached. He rode his bike, he swam, he worked out, and he encouraged everyone to do the same. I just know he would be thrilled to know about this commitment to the PATH," she said.
The Rahall Transportation Institute Foundation, in association with the City of Huntington and various community members, designed the trail system to incorporate many of Huntington's amenities and workplaces to allow citizens an alternate means of transportation.
The system will provide a great opportunity to exercise and enjoy the Ohio River, as a portion of the trail will run along the floodwall, said Brie Salmons, project management specialist at the Rahall Transportation Institute.
"It's really nice to look at the river that way," she said.
Both that section and the proposed trail along Four Pole Creek will give people the opportunity to exercise safely without worrying about traffic, Salmons said.
Safe places to run, walk and bike are a must for the Huntington area, said Dr. Tom Dannals, a member of the task force supporting the system. He said every successful town in the country has a nice park and trail system.
Dannals said Ritter Park is great, but statistics show that people use trails more often when they live within a mile of them.
He also said the incorporation of the floodwall and river will be beneficial.
"There's going to be people who've lived in Huntington for years who will be up there saying, 'Look at this. I've never seen Huntington like this before,'" he said.
Salmons said organizers continue to apply for grants and raise funds for the project that may total around $2 million. She said a "yard sale" is ongoing and invites people to purchase a yard of the PATH for $150. Individuals or businesses may also purchase other items or annual memberships to become Friends of the PATH.
Plymale said the city, county, and even state officials continue to be behind the project.
"I think that everybody really realizes the significance of moving forward and how we have to move forward," he said. "This is exciting when we have all these groups working together to accomplish what we all know we need to."
Dannals said the trails are not just a nice idea, but they are necessary to move the area in the right direction.
"It's going to mean everything to Huntington," he said. "We need everybody really involved."
More information is available at www.paulambrosetrailforhealth.org/.
You can help build the PATH
The Rahall Transportation Institute in coordination with healthyhuntington.org is hosting a "yard" sale to raise funds for the Paul Ambrose Trail for Health.
Donations may be made by calling 304-696-7072 or e-mailing brie.salmons@njrati.org.
A $150 tax-deductible donation purchases one yard of the 26-mile PATH.
The gift program also invites individuals and businesses to support the trail by purchasing the following items:
Trail bench with plaque, $750
Picnic table with plaque, $1,000
General signage, $250
Landscaping, $250
Bicycle rack, $1,000.
Annual memberships to become "Friends of the PATH" are also available at the following levels:
Business, $1,000
Gold, $500
Silver, $250
Bronze, $100.
