HUNTINGTON -- Failure is not an option, says Dr. Tom Dannals.
A proposed fitness trail that's safe and easily accessible in neighborhoods stretching from Ceredo to Altizer simply has to be created for the health of the Huntington community, he said.
"This is a medical necessity," said Dannals, who along with state Sen. Bob Plymale and others at the Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute are working with a group of concerned residents to establish a network of trails in Huntington.
"We can't say, 'This isn't going to work,' and the (government money) is put elsewhere," Dannals said. "This has to work. Are you going to move to Huntington when there are other places that don't have the obesity statistics we have and do have places to (get out and exercise)?"
According to a 2007 report from the Trust for America's health, about 30 percent of West Virginia's adults and 20 percent of its children are obese, the second-highest rate in the country for both statistics. It's second to Mississippi and Washington.
Statistics show that if you live within a quarter mile of a fitness trail, you're likely to use it, Dannals said, so that's what the task force is working toward.
It's getting closer. It's working on proposals and gearing up to get funds for the trail network, which would connect to Ritter Park, Harris Riverfront Park, Harveytown Park, the floodwall and eventually Virginia Point Park. It would require construction of some new crushed-limestone trails, particularly above the floodwall, and involve the Share the Road program, which provides special lanes and signs on Huntington's streets to facilitate safe lanes for bicycles.
One concern right now is that the trail network doesn't have a name, so the task force is sponsoring a contest and inviting community members to send in entries. The winner gets $100.
Every progressive city in the country has a good trail system, said Plymale, director of the transportation institute.
"There have been economic studies that say if you're located within a quarter of a mile of a bike pathway, the value of your homes and businesses goes up."
This could totally transform Huntington, Dannals said, both economically and medically.
"It's going to be fascinating to see how it changes people's habits," he said. "People from out of town will be able to get on this loop, go out and smell Heiner's bakery and see beautiful Central City and Ritter Park."
He'd like to see historic signs along the way explaining the background of Huntington, particularly at Harris Riverfront Park. And as a runner/cyclist himself, Dannals looks forward to getting the floodwall portion of the project finished so there is a longer stretch with a view of the Ohio River than the short trail at the riverfront park.
In fact, of all the praise he got about the Marshall University Marathon this year, there's one negative comment that sticks out in his mind. It was from a runner who wanted to see more of the river.
"He was expecting to be running along the Ohio River for five miles, and (the marathon route) only goes along the river for 100 yards or so," he said.
Eventually, he hopes there are safe routes along the floodwall and elsewhere so that someone could run or cycle from Altizer all the way to Virginia Point Park in Ceredo-Kenova.
"People need these things," he said. "It's too dangerous . If you're experienced, it's not that dangerous, but we can't expect that from everyone."
Plymale stressed that the pathways should encourage alternate modes of transportation for people who live, work and go to school in the area, for their health and to help with traffic flow.
The task force is working with the Cabell County Board of Education on the Safe Routes to Schools program for students at Guyandotte and Central City elementary schools. Through that initiative, the city could make it safer and easier for students of those schools to walk and ride their bikes to school.
Seven of the 12 local neighborhood associations have endorsed the trail network so far, Plymale said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given approval for putting a pathway similar to Ritter Park's atop the floodwall in West Huntington. Huntington City Council will need to give approval for the Share the Road lanes and signage.
The task force also has to submit its grant proposal by January. It wants to start with the downtown loop, between 3rd Street and 13th Street West. The estimated cost of the project, which includes construction of a limestone pathway on the floodwall -- similar to that at Ritter Park -- is $208,000.
The City of Huntington is submitting two Transportation Enhancement Grant applications, said Brianne Salmons, a project management specialist for the transportation institute. One grant is for the Westmoreland Floodwall section, which is expected to cost $317,200. The Harveytown section is expected to cost $182,000.
In all, there are proposals for five different segments of the network, and Plymale hopes it will be a public-private partnership.
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