NEWSPAPER NEWS ITEMS
PERTAINING TO WMRT
Great News for WMRT
Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. announced on 17 May 2006
that $2,450,000 of Transportation Enhancement Program
Funds have been approved to extend the existing WMRT to
Little Orleans, Md. The extension will be for a 4.5 mile
section from Pearre Station to River Bridge #1 at Little
Orleans, Md.
The Governor stated that the extension from Pearre Station to
Little Orleans will be a great addition to the existing 22.5 miles
of trail, which begins at Big Pool in Washington County.
PAW PAW RAIL TRAIL LOOP
Portions of an news article in The Hancock News, 11 July 2007, written by Kate Evans, is reprinted
for biking enthusiast information.
Funding is being sought from different sources to create a loop along the Western Maryland
Rail Trail in the Paw Paw Bends area. The Rail Trail loop would run from Paw Paw to the C&O
Canal and onto Bond's Landing on Green Ridge State Forest in Maryland, return to the C&O
Canal and loop back to Paw Paw, said former Paw Paw Mayor Julie Kidwell, who is the now
town recorder.
Nora Martin and Keith McIntosh, project assistants for U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, came to the
June 29 Morgan County Commission meeting to hear more about the Paw Paw Rail Trail Loop.
The stretch of the proposed Western Maryland Rail Trail from Pearre to Paw Paw crosses the
Potomac River six times on high trestle bridges from Allegany County to Morgan County and
passes through three tunnels, covering 14-miles. The C&O Canal owns the right-of-way on
the land. "It could be one of the premier rail trails on the East Coast", said Glen Stotler, Morgan
County Commission President.
The State of Maryland has donated funding for a bat study that also has to be done before
the project can begin. Maryland has also appropriated $4.9 million to pave the rail trail
section from Pearre to Little Orleans, according to Kidwell.
For latest information on trail extension go to:
Story printed in the Baltimore Sun, 15 November 2008
Following article printed in the Hancock News, 20 February 2008
$980,000 funding for rail trail now official
U.S. Senator Robert Byrd has secured funding to help turn the abandoned Western Maryland Railway into a hiking-biking trail in Morgan County.
In legislation that recently became law, Byrd included $980,000 to fund the conversion of the old railway through the Paw Paw Bends into a
hiking and biking trail.
"Community residents are confident that this railway can be converted into an important attraction for the area, and I am proud to help," Byrd
said. "Hiking and biking trails bring large number of people into the Mountain State. Working together, we will move this project from the
drawing board to realty."
The National Park Service has studied various alternatives for the abandoned railway, which is currently owned by the park service. The
trail would connect with the C&O Canal path and the Western Maryland Rail Trail in Maryland.
"Tourism is a vital part of the West Virginia economy. By investing in projects like this one, we will create new reasons for visitors to come to
West Virginia and strengthen the local economy," Byrd said.
Trail Bat Study
Meantime, the Morgan County Commissioners have approved spending a $30,000 partnership grant from the C&O Canal National Historical
Park for a Paw Paw Tunnel bat study.
The spring bat studies are needed before preliminary design work can proceed on the Western Maryland Rail Trail section from Little Orleans
to Paw Paw, said Paw Paw Town Recorder Julie Kidwell.
The fall bat assessment has been completed, she said. The studies will show what types of bats inhabit the tunnel, she said.
The grant was issued through the U.S. Park Service last year and was held until it was needed for an environmental assessment, said
Morgan County Administrator, Bill Clark.
Thursday November 22, 2007
Western Maryland Rail Trail has new brochure - HANCOCK -
The Western Maryland Rail Trail has a new brochure that includes phase three of the popular recreational trail. The map shows the recently added 2-1/2 miles of trail and a parking lot at Pearre Station. The brochure was a partnership between the Hancock Chamber of Commerce and the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was designed by Icon Graphics. "The new map features the 221/2-mile, all-paved trail," said Hancock Chamber of Commerce President Penny Pittman. "It includes where the crossovers are located to the C&O Canal and also shows the parking areas at Big Pool, Hancock and Pearre." The new WMRT brochure is the third edition, but it won't be the last. In 2005, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. awarded $5 million to extend the trail another four and a half miles to Little Orleans, Md., in Allegany County, with access through the 4,000-foot Indigo Tunnel. Additional funding is being provided by the National Park Service, but before the trail can be extended, the in-process environmental assessment and environmental impact study must be completed. This expansion could begin as soon as next year. In December 2006, the Urban Research and Development Corporation of Bethlehem, Pa., completed a WMRT Economic Impact Study for the Town of Hancock. It found that the trail created more than $2.9 million in annual gross direct spending from approximately 95,000 user visits in Washington County. "The Convention and Visitors Bureau recognizes the importance of this recreational amenity in our county," said CVB President Tom Riford. "Visitors and residents alike enjoy the beautiful experience of the Western Maryland Rail Trail. I certainly agree with the Virginia-based bicycle club which was quoted as calling our Rail Trail 'a cathedral in the trees.' With nearly $3 million in local economic impact, the Rail Trail has proven its value to our county." Riford also praised ongoing efforts to extend the Western Maryland Rail Trail to Little Orleans, Md., and onward another 14 miles. A group known as the Western Maryland Rail Trail Supporters (WMRTS) is working to promote and support the extension of the WMRT through the Paw Paw Bends area of the Potomac River. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is seeking donations from both the private and public sector. The organization already has the support of the C&O Canal Association, the county commissions of Morgan County, W.Va., and Allegany and Washington counties in Maryland, the state of Maryland, the state of West Virginia, and the Potomac Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Program, as well as the Hagerstown-Washington County CVB. The Western Maryland Rail Trail Supporters, in partnership with the Hagers-town-Washington County CVB, is working with DH WEB Inc. in developing a new Web site promoting the extension of the trail from Pearre Station to Little Orleans, and the next 14 miles known as the Paw Paw Bends. The new extension would include two more tunnels, Kessler and Stickpile and six high-trestle bridges. It would cross and recross the Potomac River between Maryland and West Virginia. The WMRT opened in 1998 and is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Parks). It begins just west of Fort Frederick State Park and follows the former Western Maryland Railroad line through the town of Hancock, ending 10.5 miles west of Hancock at Pearre Station. The trail follows the bends and curves of both the C&O Canal and the Potomac River but is almost completely flat and is paved. The WMRT is a popular recreational spot for cyclists, walkers, joggers, and cross country skiers, weather permitting. For more information about the WMRT, visit"http://www.westernmarylandrailtrail.org" . The Western Maryland Rail Trail and the Hancock Chamber of Commerce, are members of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information, see"http://www.marylandmemories.com".
Copyright The Herald-Mail ONLINE - 22 November 2007
100 Summit Ave
Hagerstown, Md 21740
Additional information will be posted here as it becomes available.