Bicycle Board,
What, if anything, does the Bicycle Board want to do about this? Closing the rail-trail between Deckers Creek and the Star City bridge for a year to install a second sewer line.
Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: rail trail closed for a year? Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 10:42:47 -0400 From: Christiaan Abildso Christiaan.Abildso@mail.wvu.edu To: Don Spencer dspencer36@comcast.net,wileya120@gmail.com, 'Robert Anderson' randerson@hsc.wvu.edu, 'Bill Reger-Nash' wreger@hsc.wvu.edu CC: Mark Wise mwise@BOPARC.org, Daniel Boroff dboroff@cityofmorgantown.org, ella@montrails.org,Frank Gmeindl fgmeindl@verizon.net, Jon Weems jweems@wvu.edu References: 4A1B9F9A02000013008C0CFF@newgwia.hsc.wvu.edu D602B22211244ACE9DC5DB24C73F01B8@donhome
Thank you for the update, Don. I look forward to discussion of this matter, hopefully with BOPARC, MUB, and Arboretum representatives at the next Pedestrian Safety Board meeting, Monday June 8 4-5:30 at the Public Safety Building. I think the Board should get accurate project information before making any public comment.
Have fun. Be active. Christiaan
"Don Spencer" dspencer36@comcast.net 5/28/2009 10:30 AM >>>
Hi, All - Just to bring you up to date on this issue a bit...City Council is requesting that there be a community meeting on this issue sometime during the month of June. It will be important that Christiaan's views and the views of others on how the construction plan should be formulated can be expressed and perhaps discussed. I suspect that the date for the meeting will be announced on by June 2 at the Council meeting.
Also, MUB announced that coordination of some concerns about the trail will be handled by BOPARC. It is hoped that BOPARC will put together a meeting to discuss trail construction which will include the MRTC, the WVU Arboretum, as well as the Pedestrian Safety Board and perhaps the Bicycle Board as well.
Don
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Anderson [mailto:randerson@hsc.wvu.edu] Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 7:52 AM To: wileya120@gmail.com; Bill Reger-Nash; Christiaan Abildso Cc: dspencer36@comcast.net; ella@montrails.org Subject: Re: rail trail closed for a year?
I am in Chas today and tomorrow so I will miss tonight as well. Christiaan has a great point, namely that shutting down the entire length of trail for a year is not acceptable. Instead, one section at a time. Just like is done when a road has to be repaired or expanded. Bob
Robert H. Anderson Deputy Director Prevention Research Center PO Box 9190 3820 HSC South West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506
304-293-1828 304-293-8624 (fax) 304-376-5299 (cell)
"Christiaan Abildso" Christiaan.Abildso@mail.wvu.edu 05/25/09 10:36 PM
Sorry all, have an afternoon meeting in Charleston tomorrow so I probably won't be back in time.
I do not have a formal letter, but I suggest we ask MUB to approach the trail improvements as if they are working on a road...working one section at a time and offering detours. For example, work on the following segments with detours: 1) Decker's Creek to Stansbury with a detour out to Beechurst and back on behind Stansbury 2) Stansbury to 8th St...again detour out onto Beechurst 3) 8th St to Arb service entrance...detour to service road along river? Bill suggested this may be a possibility with funds for crushed stone??? 4) Arb service road to Star City sewage treatment plant...again, service road usable?
Nothing formal yet, but that's my initial thought for discussion of feasibility. Let's treat the trail as if it's a road...not revolutionary, but beneficial for the community.
I'm including Ella. I'm sure she's interested/better informed than we are. Christiaan
Angela Wiley wileya120@gmail.com 5/25/2009 9:53 PM >>>
I know Don will obviously be there tomorrow; but I think I am free -- so I will try and attend in order to represent us.
Christiaan -- if you typed something up to send by now, could you forward it to me, so I have consistent talking points? Or maybe I'll see you there!
Let me know.
On Mon, May 25, 2009 at 4:07 PM, Bill Reger-Nash wreger@hsc.wvu.edu wrote:
Don,
As always, I appreciate your input. Thank you.
I appreciate that this is an important and major project for the
community,
but there is a service road (between the trail and the river) that might
be
put into service during the rail trail down time.
Bill
WV Walks - 30 minutes or more daily Feel the power of half an hour!
Bill Reger-Nash, Ed.D Professor of Community Medicine West Virginia University School of Medicine Morgantown WV 26506-9190 Phone: 304/293-0763 Fax: 304/293-6685
Dept. web page: http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed BRN's web page: http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/wreger/
"Don Spencer" dspencer36@comcast.net 5/25/2009 12:35 AM >>>
Bill - The MUB planning will be discussed at City council on Tuesday, May 26. The information that I have received on the trail closing thus far is even more disturbing than what Jon has reported. I am sure that there will be some negotiation in the planning which will result from the City
Council
Review. This is a major project for the community.
Don
-----Original Message----- From: Bill Reger-Nash [mailto:wreger@hsc.wvu.edu] Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 10:25 AM To: dspencer36@comcast.net; Angela Wiley; Robert Anderson; Christiaan Abildso Subject: Re: Fwd: railtrail closed for a year?
Christiaan et al,
I suggest we invite MUB and Boparc to our June meet to discuss this issue. They are scheduled to begin on Jan 1, 2010 and finish by Dec 31, 2010.
There is a service road between the rail trail and the river. Perhaps that could be covered roughly with fine gravel.
Bill
WV Walks - 30 minutes or more daily Feel the power of half an hour!
Bill Reger-Nash, Ed.D Professor of Community Medicine West Virginia University School of Medicine Morgantown WV 26506-9190 Phone: 304/293-0763 Fax: 304/293-6685
Dept. web page: http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed BRN's web page: http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/wreger/
"Christiaan Abildso" Christiaan.Abildso@mail.wvu.edu 5/22/2009 10:13
AM >>> All - I'm going to craft a response that I hope will stimulate a discussion with us, the Bike Board, MUB & the Arb.
Events that will be affected: Moutaineer Triathlon, Sprint Splash & Spin Triathlon, Twilight 5-miler...they all use that section of the trail.
"Robert Anderson" randerson@hsc.wvu.edu 5/22/2009 9:08 AM >>>
Very bad. For some people near one end or the other they can manage, if
not
as well as they like. But for many, many others, this ruins things for them. What is the position of the rail trail people. Does MUB have the legal authority to do this without getting anyone's OK?
Bill Reger-Nash 5/21/2009 4:03 PM >>>
The following message comes from Jon Weems of the WVU Arboretum. It appears to me that pedestrian advocates should express displeasure for this proposed lack of accommodation. If they were to close a street down for a year, ... well, it just would never happen.
Bill
Subject: Arboretum sewer line Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 10:19:52 -0400 From: "Jonathan Weems" Jonathan.Weems@mail.wvu.edu
I met with three MUB engineers this Monday and learned more about the new sewer line going through the Arboretum. It will be a 36 inch diameter pressure line, installed along the ditch line on the uphill side of the rail-trail. It will supplement but not replace the old gravity line along the downhill side of the rail-trail.
This is to be built with stimulus money during the calendar year 2010. The rail-trail will be closed from Decker's Creek to the sewage treatment plant by the Star City bridge for the year. After the sewer line is complete MUB will repave the rail-trail, widening it to 12 feet where possible and installing some paved turnouts on the downhill side of the rail-trail. The turnouts will be places where folks can get out of the flow (sorry, accidental bad pun) if they want to stop for a while.
This new line will be well within the old railroad right-of-way and also within the MEA power line right-of-way. It will be within the area the railroad used to brush-hog and spray with herbicides. Lots of saplings, a few trees up to 6 inches in diameter, and no larger trees will need to be removed.
I told the engineers I didn't know of any current research projects that would be disturbed by the work planned. They said they thought they would be able to keep the three Arboretum trail crossings (of the rail-trail) open during construction. We all identified the flat place below the old landslide as an obvious spot for a turnout. I also suggested one near the bottom of the Service Road where the bike rack is located. Some turnouts outside the Arboretum will be landscaped, but evidently not within the Arboretum. I said we wouldn't want exotic plants used in any event.
Overall, I see this sewer line construction as a major disruption for rail-trail users but less of a disruption for Arboretum visitors. If we get a turnout with benches and a bike rack at the bottom of the Service Road I think we should install an interpretive sign inviting rail-trailers to explore Arboretum trails on foot.
They agreed we should have an on-site meeting later this year, once detailed specs have been developed and locations staked out.
This is a rush job, the time line driven by the stimulus money. If we have major concerns or suggestions it would be good to communicate them early on.
Thank you,
Jon Weems
Arboretum Specialist WVU Department of Biology Morgantown, WV 26506-6057
304-293-5201 ext. 31547
jweems@wvu.edu