B
y Taylor Boyd
A corridor trail that could financially benefit Patrick County and drive economic development is under consideration by the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA).
The organization is currently seeking public input on the discussion of the trail that would connect the Mountains to Sea Trail in North Carolina to the Beaches and Bluegrass Trail in Virginia.
Tiffany Haworth, executive director, said “we are in the phase of asking the public whether they think it’s a good idea, and if they think it’s a good idea which potential corridor would they think would be the best one to explore.”
She said that the organization has had over 100 online participants and around 40 people participate in the public input meetings. The public response has also been 100 percent in support for the idea and believes that it is a valuable idea for DRBA to explore.
There are three corridor options are currently being considered.
The first option would connect Stuart to Stokesdale and Dodgetown; the second would run from Chatmoss to Monroeton, and the final option would go from Danville to Browns Summit.
Public support for the corridors is “pretty equal right now,” Haworth said, and added that all three options are viable and feasible.
“Haworth and Wayne Kirkpatrick, vice-president of the agency’s board, said the corridor would increase outdoor, recreational tourism to the county.
It would, “piggyback off the trails’ popularity and economic development,” Haworth said, and added, “one million visitors could potentially come through our region who need lodging and food,” and explore the existing the assets while visiting.
The organization is in “the infancy stage of the master planning stage,” of development, and hopes to finish the master plan stage by October or November, they said.
If public input for the plan remains positive, the organization would then begin fieldwork to determine miles and the exact areas where the connector trails and road would be built.
DRBA also would seek permission from private landowners to potentially have parts of the corridor going through their properties, and then determine the project’s cost by considering the feasibility of each corridor and reviewing fieldwork data.
DRBA plans to make its recommendation once it has completed the master planning stage, Haworth said.
“We may recommend at the end to use all three and have three corridors that connect the trails that are done in phases,” she said.
Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to take the survey online at DanRiver.org.
