Riverfront trail plans under way in Allegheny Valley
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Allegheny Valley residents are not asking if a riverfront trail should be built through their communities, Thomas E. Baxter IV said.
"They want to know when it will happen," said Mr. Baxter, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront. "And it is happening as we speak."
Volunteers, for example, have been busy planting spring bulbs and helping with cleanup at the Aspinwall Marina, which was recently acquired by the nonprofit Friends organization.
The marina will continue to provide services for boat operators, but a portion of the property will become part of a planned 10-acre park. The site also will be home to one section of a 26-mile multiuse trail planned along the Allegheny River.
The trail project will be the subject of a public meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Harmar Township Municipal Building, 701 Freeport Road. Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Friends of the Riverfront are hosting the event.
One purpose of the session will be to release the results of a trail development plan. Organizers also hope to gather additional community ideas and build support for the undertaking. The transfer of information should be a two-way street, according to Darla Cravotta, special projects coordinator for Allegheny County. "It's not just a meeting, but a discussion," she said. "We want to hear public comments."
"We're also looking for ideas on implementation," Mr. Baxter said.
When completed, the trail along the north bank of the Allegheny River will extend from Millvale to Harrison in the northeast corner of Allegheny County. Walkers, hikers, runners and cyclists will be able to transfer in Harrison to the Freeport-Butler trail and, at some point in the future, to the planned Pittsburgh-Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway and the Pittsburgh-Erie Greenway. At its Millvale end, the Allegheny Valley trail will link to 22 miles of already completed similar paths in Pittsburgh.
The route of the new trail will pass through 17 communities. Hundreds of people already have taken part in about two dozen meetings dealing with the project. They have included public events similar to the one planned for Wednesday as well as sessions between municipal leaders and project consultants. "Local officials love showing off and sharing their slice of the riverfront," Mr. Baxter said.
First Published November 28, 2011 12:00 am
