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$2-$3M Elkins Riverfront Plan details reviewed

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brad Johnson James Yost of GAI Consultants speaks about the Elkins Riverfront Plan during a meeting this week.

ELKINS — Invited guests gathered Tuesday evening to review the final concept design for the Elkins Riverfront Plan, a proposed three-phase project that it is projected would cost from $2.4 million to $3.3 million.

The meeting, held at Big Timber Brewing on South Davis Avenue, offered details and master plan maps for the proposed project, an effort of the City of Elkins in association with Woodlands Development Group and the West Virginia Community Development Hub.

More than 20 people were on hand for the meeting, which featured representatives from GAI Consultants, the company that developed the master plan. GAI Consultants provides engineering, planning and environmental expertise to energy, transportation, development, government and industrial clients, and has locations in West Virginia and 11 other states.

Officials hope the Elkins Riverfront Plan will become a “future development plan for the Tygart Valley Riverfront in an effort to reconnect the city to the water through a series of expanded trails, water access and multiple activities along the trail system.”

Phase One of the plan would take place along the Tygart Valley River, from the Davis Avenue Bridge to River Bend Park.

This phase would include a boardwalk connection along the Tygart beginning at Davis Avenue and connecting to the trestle bridge, with fishing access included; a new sidewalk along Chestnut Street; trail development along the river’s edge under the Industrial Park Road bridge; a small footbridge crossing the stream at mid-point within Randolph County Development Authority property; and a trail connection to River Bend Park.

The projected cost for Phase One is $550,000 to $660,000.

Phase Two would involve trail signage and wayfinding.

The second phase would include developing a trail wayfinding and signage master plan to help design, site and implement new signs.

The projected cost for Phase Two is $40,000 to $50,000.

Phase Three would involve trail loops, launches, amenities and sidewalk connections.

The third phase would include creating boat and kayak launch sites; building a pedestrian bridge crossing on the western side of River Bend Park; providing sidewalk and intersection enhancements at several locations; parking enhancements; creating a boardwalk system on the north side of the Tygart connecting to Big Timber Brewing; and providing additional trail amenities within Glendale Park and River Bend Park.

The projected cost for Phase Three is $1.8 million to $2.55 million.

After the GAI Consultants presentation Tuesday evening, an attendee asked if there was a timeline for implementing the plan.

“It depends on funding,” Elkins City Clerk Jessica Sutton said. “We want to get moving on this plan, but it is funding dependent.”

James Yost of GAI noted, “There are a plethora of transportation and infrastructure funds that are available now” through federal and state grants.

Sutton asked Jack Tribble, a district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service and a volunteer on the riverfront project who has experience in building trails, how long he thought it would take to complete the project if all the funding were in place.

“Probably two to three construction seasons,” Tribble said. “It would probably take two or three years to do it right … We want to make it lighted and safe, and that takes time, money and effort.”

It was noted that the project would work hand-in-hand with the state Division of Highways to build the proposed bridges.

Another attendee asked about parts of the Tygart Valley River being “stagnant” and whether the water was safe for recreational purposes.

“We have a good relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers and it’s definitely something that we’ve talked about through the duration of these conversations,” Sutton said. “Primarily, the river functions as flood control, and secondly as our water supply. So recreation is always going to be third to that, but that doesn’t mean there are things that we can’t do.

“A lot of the stuff that we’re interested in doing, it’s going to be a really long process. It takes Congressional approval, it takes a lot of money and a lot of time,” she said. “Now it’s never going to be a whitewater adventure, but it can be a lazy river. I mean, I’ve been out on it on a paddle board, and there’ve been people out on it, on motorized and unmotorized boats, paddle boards, things like that, quite often …

“Ever since I started this project, it’s been about perception,” Sutton said. “I’m not telling you to get in the river and take a big drink. I’m definitely not saying that. There are things that you’d have to be aware of, but it being sort of dirty and people not wanting to even look at it, I think we can change that perception with a lot of this stuff, and do it in a way that’s responsible and making sure that we’re encouraging the right things, and we’re taking precautions when we need to take precautions. But I think a lot of it just falls back to perception.”

“People think it’s a dirty river and it’s not,” Yost said.

Another attendee asked if “any of the CSOs are being eliminated with this separation?” CSO stands for Combined Sewer Overflow; when heavy rains overflow the city’s sanitary sewage system, it causes untreated water to flow into the river.

“Ideally, absolutely,” Sutton said. “I think we’re probably going to have a phase three to the stormwater sewer separation project. We just finished up phase two, and we may have phases three and four, possibly… that is the longterm goal.

“I was in Morgantown not too long ago, along their rail trail, and I noticed a sign they had up … ‘This is a CSO site, just be aware.’ So there are ways we could at least notify people,” Sutton said.

The proposed plan also includes ideas for implementing public art into the recreation areas, including “Meeting with Senator Elkins,” an art installation of a statue of Stephen B. Elkins seated at a table, where “residents and visitors can sit down and meet with the city’s namesake.”

The plan proposes to place the “Meeting with Senator Elkins” art installation between Wilson Street and the river, near the currently closed Elkins Swinging Bridge.

Several stakeholder meetings and a public workshop in May were offered during the master planning process, officials said.

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