A group of eight dedicated community members and local officials set off on a significant journey to Decatur, Alabama, on April 15 to participate in the Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative (AGCI), and returned with a focus on enhancing the Mayo River Trail in downtown Stuart.
“Our vision and projects are to continue creating a more inclusive, vibrant, community-focused area,” James Houchins, director of Tourism, said of the plans.
Houchins explained that the asphalt-level trail, located just off Commerce Street, follows the path of the former Danville and Western Railway. The 1.8-mile trail that is suitable for walking and bicycling, also follows the Mayo River, with an additional spur leading to the Blue Ridge Therapy Connection Landmark Assisted Living Center.
“Some of our goals are to install more art-inspired features and develop better water access for tubing, canoeing, and fishing,” Houchins said.
In addition to Houchins, local team members who attended the initiative were Rebecca Adcock, director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce; Sissily Harrell, an architect; Wayne Kirkpatrick, of the Dan River Basin Association; Lora Mahaffey, president of Bull Mountain Arts; Travis Murphy, director of the Parks & Recreation Department; Bryce Simmons, Stuart Town Manager and Sarah Wray, coordinator of Community Engagement, Partnership & Program at the Reynolds Homestead.
“Our team came away inspired by the workshops, the teams, and the coaches that presented a tremendous amount of information. We were able to take each individual viewpoint and thought process and combine them into a cohesive plan that would benefit the entire county,” Houchins said.
“These projects are only the beginning,” he said. “A vibrant, welcoming community where its citizens love and appreciate it will draw more visitors and tourists, and that is our ‘end game.’ To increase the quality of life and grow the economy.”
The initiative was a joint effort by the Conservation Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Houchins said, and added that it also is a testament to the agencies unwavering commitment to the Appalachian region.
The Office of Tourism filed a grant application through the Conservation Fund in February, which met with success. Houchins said that “was a remarkable achievement amidst a highly competitive process.”
Along with Patrick County, other teams selected to attend the initiative this year represented Buckeye Hills, Ohio; Deep Gap, North Carolina; I-22 Region, Alabama; Little River, Alabama; Murray County, Georgia; and Waverly-Piketon, Ohio.
All of the community-based teams were from gateway communities in the Appalachian Region, he said, adding that enables team members “to build on the opportunities created by proximity to a public land asset and their confluence of resources, fostering economic opportunity to generate lasting health for people and places.”
The Appalachian Region, which spans 206,000 square miles, is home to 423 counties across 13 states, Houchins said. From southern New York to northern Mississippi, this region is a testament to the diversity and richness of our nation. Its 26.3 million residents, spread across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and all of West Virginia, form a vibrant and diverse community.
The region also includes three federally recognized and five state-recognized Native American Tribal Communities, with Tribal entities in Appalachian Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, and North Carolina, he added.
The Conservation Fund believes in conservation, which makes economic sense, Houchins said. “Their project places conservation at its center, and their entrepreneurial staff created and demonstrated innovative, practical ways to benefit from the abundant natural resources in our destinations.”
