A Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Ohio River Trail Update

The Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) is a non-profit volunteer-led public benefit corporation comprised of local elected municipal officials, business and civic leaders, interested property owners and community residents. The Ohio River Trail Council is serving as a unification tool by encouraging inter-municipal cooperation and by providing a resource and a forum for our local citizens, decision makers, project managers and council members to share knowledge in order to guarantee a bright future for our rivers, forests, and towns. The Ohio River Trail Council goal is to promote and protect a continuous corridor of natural and cultural resources along the Ohio River and its tributaries as well as honor our past and build our future by providing recreation opportunities, environmental stewardship, heritage development, safe transportation networks and economic stimulus to our region.

The Ohio River Trail Council is in complete support of a progressing state and national movement to develop greenways. In 1987, President Reagan’s “Commission on Americans Outdoors” recommended establishing a national greenways network. In 2001, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge began implementing a vision to create a network of trails throughout the Commonwealth, with a greenway in every community by 2020. Every Pennsylvania County now has a Greenways and Trail Plan funded in part by the state. Furthermore, the Ohio River Trail Council goal is to implement many of the recommendations in the 2011 Report of the federal initiative “America’s Great Outdoors.”

In 2011, U.S. Secretary Ray LaHood implemented an updated transportation policy in which the federal government is offering non-automobile transportation systems the same importance as automobile transportation planning which effectively expands federal greenway funding. The new policy is an extension of President Obama’s “Livability Initiative,” which regards the creation of alternatives to driving – buses, streetcars, trolleys and trains, as well as biking and walking – as central to solving the nation's transportation woes. In addition, Secretary LaHood urged all states and transportation agencies to treat "walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.”

Since its inception, the Ohio River Trail Council has coordinated an exceptional level of cooperation among state, county, and local governments, private sector organizations, and community residents. Because of this relationship, the Ohio River Trail Council has undertaken several proactive planning and policy efforts to advance expressed community goals, including the desire for increased access to the Ohio and Beaver River along with the revitalization of numerous blighted riverfront parcels and post-industrial brownfields as reflected in the Ohio River Trail Council Comprehensive Plan. The restoration of these neglected or abandoned waterfronts include the development of attractive parks, marinas, commercial and retail facilities, and housing developments. Fundamental to the renewal strategy is the development of a multi-use land & water trail system along the Ohio River and its tributaries, known as the Ohio River Trail (ORT). The trail corridor runs approximately forty-one (41) miles from Coraopolis to Ohioville near the three-way intersection of Ohio, Pennsylvania and the northern tip of West Virginia.

Waterfront greenways rejuvenating a city are a familiar story to western Pennsylvania.  Pittsburgh's Mayor Tom Murphy led the charge to transform the “Steel City’s” waterfront from an industrial wasteland into a recreational oasis with miles of greenways. “There’s several billion dollars in new development directly connected to those trails.” Murphy said.  “It’s not only because of the trails, but the trails add additional value.” To support his vision for greenspace along the city’s three rivers, Murphy secured $9 million in city money to purchase more than 130 acres of former steel mill property.  “I always thought that Pittsburgh’s greatest resource was its waterways and our ability to connect to them was essential to make Pittsburgh a city with vitality again.”  Murphy viewed the riverfront trails as more than a recreational facility but a catalyst for development. "The trails are also a vital part of Pittsburgh's transportation infrastructure. Hundreds of bicyclists commute to work every day on the new trail network.” Mayor Murphy credited trail construction for contributing significantly to a dramatic downtown revitalization.  "Miles of trails now connect millions of dollars of economic development, including new stadiums, housing, office space, and riverfront parks.”

The Ohio River Trail Project is comprised of twenty-seven (27) riverfront communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. There are twelve (12) Ohio River North Shore Trail (ORNST) communities: Glasgow, Ohioville, Midland, Industry, Vanport, Beaver, Bridgewater, Fallston, New Brighton, Brighton Township, Rochester and Rochester Township. The Bradys Run Extension and the connection to the Beaver River Rails-to-Trails add the Township of Patterson and the City of Beaver Falls, Pa. There are nine (9) Ohio River South Shore Trail (ORSST) communities: Monaca, Center Township, Aliquippa, Hopewell Township, South Heights, Crescent Township, Moon Township, and Coraopolis, Pa. The Robert Morris University Island Sports Center feeder trail incorporates Neville Township. In addition, the planned expansion of the North Shore Trail, which links to the South Shore Trail via the Ambridge and Sewickley Bridges, includes the four (4) boroughs of Ambridge, Leetsdale, Edgeworth and Sewickley, Pa.

In 2011, the Ohio River South Shore Trail Feasibility Study was completed, and is available for download on the Ohio River Trail Council website: www.ohiorivertrail.org/index.php/ohio-river-trail-south-shore/orsst-feasibility-study. This project succeeded through a partnership between the Ohio River Trail Council, eight (8) South Shore Communities, Beaver and Allegheny Counties, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The study successfully identified a series of proposed recommendations to create a multi-modal trail and public access to the Ohio River, linking the current 46-mile Montour Trail through all eight South Shore Communities to the Monaca-Rochester Bridge. A 2009 PA-DCNR 50/50 Planning Grant for $20,000 funded the project. In addition, the Ohio River Trail North Shore Trail Feasibility Study is presently underway, thanks to a 2010 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA-DCNR) 50/50 planning grant for $29,000 and a $15,000 contribution from the First Energy Foundation.

The Ohio River Trail is a segment of a "major" greenway corridor being developed in the "Keystone State" and also serving to complete a key section in a nationally, significant linear park system through the interconnection of existing trails in four states – Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. The Ohio River Trail primarily will unite the “Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway” in Columbiana County, Ohio to the “Great Allegheny Passage” in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and continuing on the C&O Canal Towpath, forming a mega-trail from the great lakes region to the east coast. The Ohio River Trail Council is achieving this broad vision by establishing greenway alliances with regional trail interest groups in order to advance our common goals and interests. In addition, the development of the Ohio River Greenway from Pittsburgh, Pa to Wheeling, WV is planned ultimately connecting to the existing Ohio River Trail in West Virginia.

The Ohio River Trail Council mission also includes the creation of the Ohio River Water Trail that parallels the greenway corridor and connects to the Three Rivers Water Trail in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Ohio River Water Trail Project originated in 2010 with a $20,000 grant from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission that finances the development and expansion of canoe, kayak and rowing access along the Beaver River, Little Beaver Creek, Ohio River and Raccoon Creek.

The support for the Ohio River Trail Council Comprehensive Plan is widespread. The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program is providing two years of technical assistance to the Ohio River Trail Council. Furthermore, the Ohio River Trail initiative is a component of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, Lewis & Clark Trail, Pennsylvania's Rural Farm and Village History Trail, and is a candidate for part of the U.S. Bicycle Route 50 and a portion of the Underground Railroad Trail, Pittsburgh spur. The Ohio River Trail will also follow sections of the "Great Path" and the “Lincoln Highway”. Additional sponsorship has come in the form of monetary grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA-DCNR), Port of Pittsburgh Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, First Energy Foundation as well as county, municipal and individual contributions.

In 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected the Borough of Monaca for a $175,000 Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program recipient. Monaca is collaborating with the Ohio River Trail Council to target four brownfield districts that include the Borough of Monaca, the City of Aliquippa, Borough of Coraopolis, and Borough of Midland. Brownfields are real property in which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and takes development pressures off greenspaces and working lands. These areas include more than 250 acres of land and thirty-five (35) brownfields, which are primarily former steel mill-related and small-scale industrial lands including scrap metal and railroad related activities. These brownfield sites are located adjacent to the proposed Ohio River Trail and the Ohio River, which is, is a source of drinking water for more than three million people. Many of the sites have outfalls from streams that discharge directly into the river and the runoff from streets and impervious surfaces transport additional toxins into the river. Therefore, brownfields raise significant environmental and public health concerns. Over the past 20 years, the water quality of the Ohio River and all inland rivers has improved dramatically; nonetheless, the Ohio River is presently an environmentally impaired body of water because of these brownfields.

The EPA area-wide planning process complements the Ohio River Trail Council’s efforts in planning and community revitalization along the Ohio River Trail corridor. The project vision is to use the Ohio River Trail greenway as the catalyst for determining viable brownfields site reuses along the trail corridor and to assess cleanup needs and evaluate which locations have potential for new or increased public access to the river.

In addition to the brownfield reuse planning, greenways and blueways provide opportunities for public recreation, health and fitness as well as provide connections to our history, ecology, geology, heritage and wildlife. Trails preserve and exhibit historically significant locations and routes that provide an enduring record of the past and educational opportunities into the heritage and culture of our nation. Linear trails connect neighborhoods, schools, parks and riverfronts as well as linking historical forts, bridges, dams, canals, buildings and villages. Through recognition of these cultural, historical, and natural assets, trails enhance a sense of community identity by providing the opportunity to explore the history of America through cycling or hiking, as well as granting opportunities for birding, butterflying, deer spotting, fishing or enjoying the spring wildflowers or the peak autumn colors. We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country. The Ohio River Valley is very rich in natural resources that can render southwestern Pennsylvania very attractive to new businesses, families and visitors. Revitalizing our region’s natural beauty is a responsibility and civic duty of our community.

Greenways can also be a component of a community’s economic development program. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, tourism is the second largest industry in the Commonwealth and nearly one-fifth of Pennsylvania’s tourists travel to enjoy its outdoor amenities. A recent Pennsylvania study noted that in 2002, recreational tourism accounted for 459,000 jobs statewide, an increase of 100,000 from 1998. The study also demonstrated that communities with recreational greenways have witnessed significant increases in real estate values. In 2002, a survey of two-thousand recent homebuyers, co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors, inquired about the "importance of community amenities," and greenways finished second only to highway access.

The Travel Industry Association of America reports that 55.1 million Americans are “Geotourists” interested in eco-tourism or adventure tourism activities like kayaking and canoeing. Kayaking is one of the top ten adventure activities for baby boomers, following fishing, biking and hiking.  According to the Outdoor Industry Association 17.8 million Americans participated in kayaking, canoeing and rafting in 2008, with 7.8 million paddling kayaks alone. Kayaking is the fastest growing outdoor sport with millions taking part and millions more on the edge waiting for the opportunity to dip their first paddle into our region’s natural resources.

A $65 million investment created the 132-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP).  The return on this investment was evaluated during an eighteen-month study of the Great Allegheny Passage trail-related spending which revealed that more than $40 million was spent directly by users in 2008 and trail associated jobs produced $7.5 million in wages. The Great Allegheny Passage has become a national and international destination that hosts an estimated 750,000 trips annually. Most importantly, these numbers will rise. When the connection to Pittsburgh, Pa is complete, the user spending will increase to $60 million per year.

As an extension of the Great Allegheny Passage, the Ohio River Trail certainly will foster further recreation and cultural-based economic development within our local communities. The resulting "Trail Towns" will capitalize on the synergy of ecotourism with the development of this linear recreation and parks system as a way to reposition all the evolved communities for the 21^st century business and lifestyle needs.

The evidence to sponsor the development of the Ohio River Trail is compelling, especially given the minimal state, county or local investment compared to other endeavors with comparable objectives. Constructing one mile of Urban freeway costs an average of $46 million per mile whereas the cost to build a twelve-foot shared path is $128,000 per mile. The benefits of greenways should encourage our community leaders and citizens to continue what President Teddy Roosevelt started when he set aside nearly 230 million acres of land as parks and nature preserves.  President Roosevelt believed that each generation has a duty to preserve our most beautiful places and incredible vistas for the generations that follow.

Ohio is an Iroquois Indian name, "Oheo" which traditionally is interpreted to mean "beautiful river," agreeing with the French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle was so taken with the Ohio River when he first laid eyes on it in 1669 that he christened it "La Belle Riviere." The Ohio River Trail Council is a pioneering organization composed of a dedicated and visionary leadership to develop strategies on how to implement our vision of building better communities though the restoration of the magnificent and beautiful Ohio River. The Ohio River Trail Council is an organization committed to excellence, with a clear vision and a passion for delivering outstanding results. Engaging our citizens and collaborating with like-minded individuals in the critical issues is a central focus of the Ohio River Trail Council. We ask you to work with us to capitalize on our strengths and help us improve public health, attract investment, address environmental issues, and ensure community connectivity in public access. The result is a higher quality of life, a healthier environment and more livable communities.

The Ohio River Trail Council cordially invites you to become a friend, a volunteer or a partner of our organization. The Ohio River Trail Council membership plays an integral part in promoting the vital role we perform in our region. The Ohio River Trail Council is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization, therefore your cash and property donations to the Ohio River Trail Council are tax deductible.  Membership applications are available on the ORTC website – www.ohiorivertrail.org. Please join our campaign in making the Ohio River Trail a reality.

Sincerely,

Dr. Vincent Troia

Chief Executive Chairmen & CEO

Copyright © 2012 Ohio River Trail Council