Pennies, higher-denomination coins benefit Montour Trail
Although the annual event is called Pennies for the Trail, plenty of silver-colored coins join the copper ones in donations toward keeping the Montour Trail maintained.
The Oct. 3 collection day in Peters Township was full of examples along the lines of the largess of Mike and Marilyn McMurray, who brought a takeout container full of change on their latest visit to the trail.
“Since COVID hit, I’ve been coming here almost daily to either walk or bike,” Marilyn said. “It’s a great use of resources, and it’s kept up well. So whatever we can do to help keep it going, we love it.”
The McMurrays made their donation at the Brush Run trailhead, where volunteers were present to provide information about the trail and offer bottled beverages to keep everyone hydrated.
One of the volunteers, Tony Knaus, has owned adjacent property since the early 1980s.
“This was a railroad then, and now it’s a trail,” he said. “And as far as I’m concerned, trails are good neighbors.”
The Montour Trail extends from Coraopolis to Clairton through a series of municipalities in Allegheny and Washington counties. Maintaining the recreational path is the nonprofit Montour Trail Council, a nonprofit network that includes a governing board, members, friends groups and donors, with volunteers contributing more than 20,000 man-hours each year.
A portion in Peters called the Arrowhead Trail, owned and maintained by the township, was built starting in 1985. The Montour Trail Council’s founding was four years later, and the first section of the new trail opened in 1992.
Eventually, a spur of the trail from Peters Township into Bethel Park was developed, now including a bridge over Clifton Road.
Between 2000-18, Montour Trail Council built 19 bridges for nearly $20 million. Funding comes from members and donations, along with private and government grants.
Today, more than 400,000 people use the Montour Trail each year, according to its website, and many of them venture onto connecting paths such as the Panhandle Trail, which extends into West Virginia, and the Great Allegheny Passage, a system that connects Pittsburgh with Washington, D.C.
“They’re easy to maintain. A lot of people get a chance to use them. And it gets the kids off the road,” Knaus said, citing safety concerns for young bicyclists considering the increased amount of local vehicular traffic.
Helping him attend to a Pennies for the Trail collection point was Washington resident Bud Halpin.
“A lot of people are friendly and tell us they enjoy the trail, how clean it is,” he said. “It’s always well-maintained, and they appreciate all the efforts that the volunteers do.”
As for his own volunteerism, Halpin said he was “embarassed” into it.
“I was riding one day and caught up with someone who was active in the trail, and he says, ‘You know, if you’re going to use it, you should help work it,'” he said.
Some 13 years later, that’s exactly what he continues to do.
Other volunteers at the Brush Run site included Julie Hahn-Miller and daughter Lauren Miller, a Peters Township High School sophomore who told about how she initially became involved.
“My mom was basically like, ‘Lauren, we’re doing this! Get out here. We’re going to go cut down a tree.’ And I was like, ‘OK,'” she said. “But I kept coming back, because I thought it was really cool and fun, and also everyone here is really nice.”
Her mother expressed similar sentiments.
“It’s been a great experience for us,” Julie said. “We’ve met wonderful people. And I had no idea until I was here for a Penny Day that volunteers maintain all of this.”
While the labor comes at no charge, money is needed for purchasing the likes of crushed limestone, fuel for mowers, equipment and maintenance, paint, fencing materials, trail signs and other needs.
For more information about the Montour Trail, visit montourtrail.org.