Montour Trail celebrates top state honor during South Park Township event
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Ned Williams, Montour Trail Council president, and Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Natural Resources, unveil the 2017 Trail of the Year sign for the Montour Trail during a ceremony in South Park Township.
Bethel Park resident Ksenia Semenova gets ready to take her dog for a walk across the Library Viaduct.
The Montour Trail Council established trail monitor patrols in 1998 to assist trail users in case of emergencies as well as non-emergencies.
Dennis Davin, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, recalls walking on the Montour Trail before it was a trail while growing up in Bethel Park.
Ned Williams, Montour Trail Council presidents, greets participants in the June 1 celebration near the Library Viaduct in South Park Township.
Bethel Park resident Peter Kohnke, a former Montour Trail Council president, had the foresight to purchase land that later went for trail use.
Among those attending the celebration were David and Lori Poe. They own the Tandem Connection, next to the Montour Trail in Cecil Township.
State Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Elizabeth Township, presents Ned Williams, left, with a citation from the Pennsylvania House recognizing the Montour Trail Council.
Participating in a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new section of the Montour Trail are, from left, state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Monongahela; Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; and Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
Among those cutting the ribbon for the Library Viaduct are, from left, Tom Prezel, Montour Trail Council project manager for the viaduct; state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Monongahela; and David Buchewicz, chairman of the South Park Township Board of Supervisors.
Jane Sheffield co-chairs the Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee, which selected the Montour Trail as the 2017 Trail of the Year.
Jane Sheffield helps unveil a portrait commemorating the Trail of the Year selection.
A couple cross the Library Viaduct.
As an early believer in the concept that would become the Montour Trail, Bethel Park resident Peter Kohnke bought a plot of land that he thought might be of good use in the future.
“I have to say, it took a considerable leap of faith on his part to purchase that property at that time, because in 1990 or ’91, the Montour Trail Council had not yet built a single foot of trail and would not do so for another two years,” Dave Oyler said about the past council president. “So thanks, Peter, for your forward thinking.”
Oyler, who served as project manager for the section of trail off South Park Township’s Pleasant Street that encompasses the Kohnke-secured tract, was one of the speakers during a June 1 celebration of several Montour Trail accomplishments.
At the top of the list was the naming of the 47.4-mile path from Coraopolis to Clairton as 2017 Pennsylvania Trail of the Year. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Trails Advisory Committee made the selection.
“Pennsylvania is a trail state,” Cindy Adams Dunn, department secretary, said during the celebration, which took place next to the Montour Trail viaduct over Route 88 in the Library section of South Park.
“We are the leader in the number of rail trails in the nation. We are one of the leaders in the number of trail miles. We have connector trails. We have community trails in parks. We have trails in our state forest land, miles of wilderness trails. We have trails in state parks. And they do so much for people.”
She joined other speakers in praising the volunteer efforts of Montour Trail Council members.
“I’m a trail maintainer, myself,” she said. “I know how hard that work is, and I know there’s always something else you can be doing on a Saturday. And there’s also something you could probably do better with that space in the garage where all your trail tools are. But this is important work, and we really applaud you for your sweat equity.”
Bethel Park native Dennis Davin, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, insisted on attending the event because he grew up so close to the viaduct.
“One of the reason that we’re able to put funding into projects like this, into trails like this, is the fact that there’s an economic benefit when these trails go through some of these small towns and some of these areas that haven’t seen a lot of investment in the past,” he said. “This is something that is not only the right thing to do from a recreational standpoint, but from an economic development standpoint.”
The event also featured official ribbon cuttings for the viaduct – the 506-foot span had a “soft opening” in May 2015, according to project manager Tom Prezel – and for the adjacent Pleasant Street section, which has been open for about six months.
“I’ve seen a lot of people on the trail, many of whom have actually taken the opportunity to stop and talk to me,” Oyler said. “And the primary thing that most people have said is how much they appreciate this section of the trail and how beautiful it is. I certainly echo their appreciation.”
As a final component to the celebration, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place for a trail section that will extend from Pleasant Street to the nearby Port Authority park-and-ride lot.
The Montour Trail as a whole extends through Allegheny and Washington counties, and representatives from the latter also lauded the Montour Trail.
“It’s not just a connector for traveling, and for people going to and from,” state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Monongahela, said. “It’s a connector for communities. It’s a connector for culture. The culture for Pennsylvanians is to be in the beautiful outdoors, and these trails are one of the very, very best assets that we have here in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
Visit montourtrail.org.