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| Thursday September 02, 2010 | Dailycall.com |
| 6/6/2009 5:25:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| At left, the sign for the beginning of the bike path at Lock Nine Park.
Stacy Frey/Staff Photo |
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River trai extension dedicated
By Jennifer Runyon
Staff Writer
PIQUA - A large crowd gathered at Lock Nine Park for the grand opening of the newest segment of the Great Miami River Recreational Trail on Friday.
"This is a dream come true for Piqua," Mayor Tom Hudson said, adding that plans for the trail began in 2001.
The three-mile trail extends from Lock Nine to near Peterson Road, just north of Troy. According to Robert Shook, chairman for the Miami County Trails Task Force, the path will be linked with others.
"The original plan was for 44 miles going from the Shelby County line to the Montgomery County line," Shook said.
Approximately 30 of those miles have been completed. Work will soon begin on the trail from Peterson Road to Eldean Road and is expected to be finished this fall. Shook said by the late fall, the entire path from Piqua to Taylorsville Metro Park in Dayton should be complete.
He added that a trail from Piqua to Covington, Covington to Bradford and Bradford to Greenville with a connector in Versailles is in the planning stages. The task force also hopes to create a trail from Piqua to east of Fletcher to Conover to Urbana and from Piqua to Lockington north to Sidney.
"Piqua will be a hub for these connectors. What exciting things we have to experience here. It's very picturesque. People will come from miles and miles around to see this. A bike path means more than recreation," Shook said.
State Rep. Richard Adams also spoke at the ceremony about the power the area has and the opportunities provided by the bike path.
"I believe it will be communities like Piqua and counties like Miami County that will lead this state out of the economic situation we find ourselves in," he said.
John Wannemacher, president of the Miami County Park District Board of Commissioners, took the podium to thank two property owners who allowed the path to be created on their properties.
"If they wouldn't have cooperated and supported it, this bike path wouldn't have happened," he said.
One and a half miles of the path is located on Piqua Materials property. Robert Hunt is the manager of specialty products at Piqua Materials. He attended Friday's ceremony and said the company allowed for the path "to give back to the community."
"We realized it truly was a community effort. It's a privilege to be a part of. The employees are equally proud to be a part of this," he said, adding that many employees have fathers and grandfathers who also worked at the company.
The Miami County Trails Task Force is also creating water trails from the Shelby County line to the Montgomery County line.
"Whether you want to go biking or go boating, you're good," Shook said.
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