July 16, 2010 — The editor:

    The Rails to Trails would be the most inclusive family activity that could ever be completed in Rowan County or this region. I want to elaborate on some of the positives relative to the Trails that you can seek from your Internet service or from other individuals that have previous experience with Trails in proximity to our state. The Rails to T rails means that multi-uses for recreation and physical activity are available for everyone depending on their physical and mental state.

    The bike trail would be the most used trail. The trail is designed and engineered like a small highway. East to west or north to south, depending on the direction of trails if engineered by plan, will be asphalt paved, marked with center line, typical road signs and plaques that give users of the trail information about specific locations or scenic locations along the trails. The trails should be designed for exits to view Cave Run Lake, small villages/towns along the route and the National Forest. Historical plaques should be placed at various locations.

    The Licking River or other streams could be used as a viable business for canoeing, etc. Horse trails could be developed adjacent to the bike trail. The trails should be engineered to accommodate all small towns, villages and important historical or scenic locations along the routes. Provide parking places for parking at various locations where you could have access to the trails. Long-term plans could be set up for building sheds at rest area intervals for users of the trails to take a break while using the trails. Long-time planning would include restroom facilities at specific locations along the trails, in lieu of exiting off to the town/villages.

    What are the positives of Rails to Trails? Kentucky ranks high among the states with a population of obese citizens. You can observe this problem visually almost everywhere you go, in the workplace, schools, shopping centers, hospitals, medical offices, etc. The bike trails could be used for all ages, walking, bike riding, etc.; this in turn could alleviate the obesity problem if individuals had the “will” to change their eating habits and eat the right amount of food.

    Educators here put a “Band-Aid” on physical activity in our schools today. Every student depending on their physical health should have some form of physical activity each day, even if the students pass a “puff ball” to each other. The Rails to Trails could be coordinated with many of the schools’ physical activities, cross country, physical fitness for the sports team, etc. Even MSU could use this trail for conditioning in track and other organized sports.

    The trails could be used to bring nursing home individuals out to see scenic sights along the trails, such as different places on Cave Run Lake, with the plans of the trails to have exits to the lake, then come back to the main trail. People in the know would have to assume that rails would be designed for sightseeing at specific locations on your route.

    The security on the Rails to Trails would not be an issue providing if the Rails to Trails should be built in the way that I have described in the initial part of this commentary. Assuming that the Rails to Trails would be built as I described earlier, then security or emergency services would not be an issue. For Rails to Trails that I have been familiar with, there is no motorized vehicle allowed on the trails with the exception of emergency vehicles, police and emergency services if needed. The trails that were expressed previously are wide enough (if built by plan) with paved trails and shoulders of the trail to accommodate emergency vehicles. The trails I’m describing along the Little Miami in Ohio had police on bikes riding the trails at various times; this activity could be healthy for some bicycle enthusiasts in the police of sheriff’s department.

    The positives of the Rails to Trails would be as follows:

    1. Boost to tourism.

    2. Incentive for small business ventures: bicycle repair, bicycle sales, Mom & Pop stores along bicycle trail where feasible, canoe rentals, horse riding stables, bike rentals.

    3. Opportunities for senior citizens, people in nursing homes, etc. to enjoy the beauty of our landscapes, lake, historical locations, etc.

    4. Health could be improved by having outdoor activities for our citizens of all ages. (Preventive health care.) Some part of the Rails to trails could be compatible for each person’s needs.

    5. Bicycle safety and bicycle etiquette could be taught in the schools or at the university. Horse riding classes, bike repair classes, first aid classes, emergency classes, PRIDE classes to keep Rails to Trails clear, etc.

    6. Rails to Trails could possibly be used the entire year if winters were mild and temperatures were in the high normal range.

    7. Rails to Trails could provide employment for the local area in conjunction with some of the positives that have been already stated.

    8. The bike trail could be used for transportation to your employment in lieu of a vehicle, which would make our state greener and improve our health and air quality.

    To promote the Rails to Trails, I would like to expound relative to initial steps that I think will be vital for this transportation project to be initiated. The right of way for the trail would have to be cleared; I think it was discussed earlier that the railroad returned adjacent properties back to the original property owners. The right of way along the Little Miami River in Ohio followed the railroad tracks that were originally the vital means of transportation and shopping. I think this would be basically the same plan we would be facing in this area. Any diversion would be exits to the lake and small towns. The trails should encompass all of the locations I have previously mentioned.

    The Rails to Trails could become part of the State Transportation Dept. if we should get the support of those that are in the know with connections in Frankfort. This bicycle Rails to Trails could be a regional plan or a county plan.

    To make all our plans go we need to eliminate status quo.



    Charles Blair

    Morehead