Community asset in peril: rail-trail faces funding gap
By John Gever
For the Dominion Post
If you've ever had a gravel driveway, you know that taking care of it is constant work. Ruts need to be smoothed and weeds pulled. Washouts after heavy rains must be repaired.
Now imagine that your driveway is 43 miles long, and you can't afford to hire help. Then you might understand why Anita Mayer sounds concerned, even desperate.
Mayer is president of the Monongahela River Trails Conservancy, which led the development of the popular rail-trails along the Mon River and Decker's Creek. The city of Morgantown has taken responsibility for the eight miles of rail-trail within the city limits, but it is still up to MRTC -- a volunteer group with little free cash and, as of January 1, no staff -- to keep the rest of the 51-mile system safe and clean.
Asked if she would use the word "crisis" to describe the situation facing her organization and the trail system, Mayer replied, "Yes. I absolutely would."
At issue is the long-term health of one of the region's top recreational assets. Developers on Morgantown's waterfront say the rail-trail is a key part of their plans. Moreover, the trail system represents a multi-million dollar investment that, its supporters say, will deteriorate if not looked after.
"The rail-trail is an important component (of) the public-private partnership" that is driving the planned West Virginia Public Theatre and marina-restaurant complex adjacent to the Wharf District, said Rich Lane of Platinum Properties. The complex is expected to create dozens of new jobs. He called the trail a second front door to the complex, and said it was important that its full length be cleared and passable. "If it's not maintained, folks can't use it fully," he said.
MRTC has been hugely successful in winning government and foundation grants to build the trail. Just last week, it announced three new federal grants totalling more than $115,000, which will allow MRTC to complete the Mon River section north to the Pennsylvanial border.
Despite that success -- or indeed, because of it -- MRTC is increasingly ill-equipped to follow up on it. The group has almost no money available to fund ongoing maintenance or even to pay its own staff. Its executive director, Ella Belling, is leaving the post at the end of this month because MRTC can't afford to pay her.
In mid-December, an MRTC financial report indicated the group had about $26,000 in cash assets and debts of $13,500. Under the grants' terms, most of the cash is earmarked for specific purposes that don't include trail maintenance or administrative expenses, Belling said.
Until now, MRTC has done what it can with volunteers and a few pieces of equipment. However, Mayer said, volunteers can't handle most of the heavy work such as clearing ditches and culverts, needed to prevent washouts. Most of the group's unrestricted come from membership dues and its annual Trail Mix festival, which together bring in about $10,000, Mayer said.
Mayer said MRTC saw years ago that it would soon have to hand off responsibility. In 2001, the group organized a summit meeting of local and state leaders to discuss what would happen after the trail-building phase was completed. "Our task was to find the funding to build this trail system," Mayer said. "Long-term, sustained funding would become their issue," meaning local government, and she said they agreed.
"We have held up our end," she added, suggesting it's time for local governments to live up to those commitments.
MRTC estimates the annual labor and material costs needed to maintain the trail system at about $2,500 per mile, Mayer said. For the 43 miles outside the city limits, that means a budget of some $107,500.
If local governments fail to put up that kind of money this year, Mayer warned, trail users will see the trail visibly deteriorate. Already, she said "it's overgrown (with) weeds that need cut." One likely outcome would be that MRTC would put up "use at your own risk" signs at trail entrances. Mayer said that many trail users would find the signs discouraging, taking away from the "sense of safety" they now enjoy.
MRTC leaders have nothing but praise for the city of Morgantown. Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice told the MRTC board at a recent meeting that the city would provide roughly one-third of the money needed for trail maintenance outside the city. That's in addition to the city's previous commitment to maintain the trail within its borders. "It's more than their fair share," Mayer said. She also praised Star City, which for five years has donated office space valued at $500 a month, and said she expected that Preston County would contribute fairly as well.
The Monongalia County Commission doesn't get such high marks. Publicly, MRTC leaders say they're encouraged by preliminary discussions they've had with commission members. Privately, they accuse the commission of dragging its feet. Mayer made it clear that a formula for long-term trail maintenance should have been in place already.
Commission President Bob Bell said his impression is that most rail-trail usage occurs on the paved portion within Morgantown and Star City. "It gets limited usage" outside of those sections, he said. Nevertheless, he agreed that it has potential as a county asset and that, eventually, "I'm sure the county will step up for our share."
Bell said the commission had met "briefly" with city officials to discuss a management formula. A likely scenario is that the city's BOPARC agency would handle the maintenance chores for the whole system, since it already has much of the needed equipment and personnel. But, he said, several issues remained to be settled. One was how to constitute an agency that would manage trail maintenance. Another, more important matter has to do with legal responsibility. "Neither one of us (the city or the county) wants the liability issues," he said, noting that governments are more attractive targets for lawsuits than cash-strapped nonprofits like MRTC.
He said those issues could probably be worked out quickly, but it was unlikely that the county could come up with its "full" funding portion -- roughly $50,000 -- before 2006. About half that could be available this year, he said. That would leave the funding pot roughly 40 percent short of MRTC's estimated requirement.
It's not out of the question that MRTC could make up the 2005 shortfall. Mayer said the group has grant proposals out now that could produce funds for maintenance. In the longer term, MRTC will seek major donations for an endowment, which would create a permanent income stream that the group could spend without the restrictions typical of grants.
Right now, though, "We're definitely at a fork in the road," Mayer said.
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