[Fwd: RE: rail trail closed for a year?] - Bikeboard

28 May 2009


      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
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"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)
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"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
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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/
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"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
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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/
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"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.
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"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
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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?
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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
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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