Report to NC Rail-Trails 3/31/09

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1st Quarter 2009 Project Report to NC Rail-Trails by Michael Domonkos

Brevard Bike Path
The extension of the Brevard Bike Path into the Pisgah National Forest
should be completed (or at least be well underway) this summer. Most
of this extension will be upon the crown of the dismantled railbed of
the defunct Carr Lumber Railroad. NCDOT stimulus enhancement funds are
being used to fund a safe crossing of the wide and busy Asheville
Highway. The path will connect with the Art Loeb Trail. The latter
trail is a connector to and part of the Mountains to the Sea Trail
(MST). This would make the Brevard Bike Trail a connector to the MST.

The Gallimore Road Multi-Use Path
There was NCRT input into the obtaining of $250,000 of NCDOT Safe
Routes to School funds. Also, around $40,000 has been raised from
private sources. The path will link up two schools, a Boys and Girls
Club and a stadium used for the Brevard College’s fledgling football
team’s games. This path is part of the proposed greenway network which
would connect in part to the rail-trail components of the Transylvania
and Henderson County network. The construction could be underway by
summer.

Hendersonville to Brevard Rail-Trail
A group of citizens including some public officials has recently
formed a “Friends” group to support the establishment of a 18 ½ mile
rail-trail between the two cities on a discontinued Norfolk-Southern
RR rail corridor. A suit against Norfolk Southern attempting to stop a
railbanking was recently dismissed by a federal court in Asheville.
Individuals have agreed to tasks including to insure that NCDENR
continues to be motivated to make this trail the first state owned and
managed rail-trail, obtaining the positive formal resolutions from
three governmental units in Henderson County and obtaining the public
endorsement of the trail by the developer redeveloping the shuttered
Ecusta paper mill near Brevard. This developer initially asked that
the rails not be taken up pending its decision on what uses would be
envisioned at the brownfield redevelopment. Subsequently, their plans
have not included any industrial uses in the redevelopment. Connecting
up with the Brevard Bike Path (as described above) would connect this
trail to the Mountains to the Sea Trail This would add some
additional cachet or distinction to this trail. Also state law, NCGS
Sec 113-34.1 provides specifically that the NC Department of
Administration may acquire lands to turn over to NCDENR for the
purpose of developing and managing the MST. And it specifically
provides that no new legislation is required as is required in the
case of adding new state parks. This project reporter believes that
the trails act permits the acquisition of land for the NCDENR for a
state trail without requiring legislative approval as a new state
park. A new state trail connecting to the MST would have additional
basis for such an argument.