First public meetings for the Knox Kane Trail Feasibility St

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A F.Y.I. if you are from Western Pa.

To All: The dates for the first public meetings for the Knox Kane Trail Feasibility Study are as follows:


October 26 – Marienville Area Civic Association, MACA Drive, Marienville
October 27 – Kane Community Center, 46 Fraley Street, Kane
October 28 – Clarion Holiday Inn, 45 Holiday Inn Rd, Clarion
All workshops will begin with an open house from 6:00 – 6:30 PM, with a presentation at 6:30 followed by public discussion.


Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau
PO Box 371, 80 E. Corydon Street
Bradford, PA 16701
T: 800-473-9370 F: 814-368-9370
devlin@visitANF.com
http://www.visitANF.com

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PRESS RELEASE
-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
October 15, 2010
The Counties of Clarion, Elk, Forest, and McKean have scheduled a series of public
workshops to invite public input and comment on the feasibility of developing the Knox-Kane
Rail Corridor into a multi-use trail. This project is a cooperative effort of Clarion, Elk, McKean,
and Forest counties.
McKean County, as lead agency, received funding from DCNR, which is being match by
cash and in-kind contributions from each of the four counties. The funds will be used develop the
Knox Kane Rail Corridor Trail Feasibility Study, which will consider the entire 69.9 mile rail
corridor from just north of Knox in Clarion County to the Mt. Jewett Borough in McKean
County. The rail owner has taken steps to formally railbank the corridor under the National
Trails System Act. Railbanking is a method by which lines proposed for abandonment can be
preserved for future rail use through interim conversion to trail use. The purpose of the trail
feasibility study is to investigate the development of a regional trail that would connect the four
counties. The McKean County Planning Commission in conjunction with the North Central PA
Regional Planning and Development Commission will manage the project to meet PA DCNR
reporting requirements.
A committee composed of representatives from each county selected Johnson, Mirmiran
& Thompson (JMT) as the consulting firm for the preparation of the feasibility study. The study
will consider the benefits and potential negative impacts of a trail system, environmental
concerns, public and private ownership of land, and will include recommendations and
construction cost projections for implementation.. It will also identify demand for, and types of,
trail uses; ownership scenarios; maintenance and management options. A trail concept plan will
be included. A regional Steering Committee, consisting of fifteen members from all four
counties, has been formed to guide the planning process. The outcome of the study will outline
the corridor’s potential as a multi-use trail, provide a trail plan, and cost estimates for
development of the trail system. Public participation is critical to the success of the project, and
a public participation process, including public workshops, has been developed to obtain input
and comments.
The public workshops have been scheduled for the last week of October. The first will
be held on October 26 at Marienville Area Civic Association, MACA Drive, Marienville; the
second on October 27 at the Kane Community Center, 46 Fraley Street, Kane; and the third on
October 28 at Clarion Holiday Inn, 45 Holiday Inn Rd, Clarion. All meetings will begin with an
open house from 6:00 – 6:30 PM, with a presentation at 6:30 followed by open discussion. The
public is encouraged to attend any one of the meetings.
It is expected that the study will be completed by June 2011. This is a rare opportunity to
preserve the corridor for possible public use and expand the trail system in our north central
region. All four boards of County Commissioners strongly support the project, as do the County
Planning Commissions, tourist promotion agencies, Local Development Districts (North Central
PA Regional Planning and Development Commission and Northwest Commission) and the PA
DCNR.

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We made progress ~70% at the Clarion meeting wanted snowmobile access so, we need to work on the snowmobilers in Forest County. Please keep up the good work and comment on the web site !