FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The City of Fairmont, in collaboration with Civil and Environmental Consultants (CEC), will be conducting a public input session to get ideas and feedback on the related amenities and design of the West Fork River Trail Extension. The City of Fairmont is seeking to construct approximately 2.5 miles of new rail trail from the Norway Trestle behind Country Club Shopping Plaza to 12th Street near the current Fairmont Box Factory.
The goal is to development a master plan for the rail trail extension into the city and trail adjacent amenities such as restrooms, parking, fishing access, kayak launch, sport courts, and other recreational spaces. Additional design elements are being considered such as a new and improved neighborhood access point for Edgemont.
DETAILS
WHO: City of Fairmont staff and CEC representatives.
WHERE: Fairmont State University Falcon Center 3rd floor conference center. 1201 Locust Ave, Fairmont.
WHEN: December 4th, 2024 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Citizens will be given brief introductions and presentations from City and CEC staff on the proposed trail path and site concepts and then solicited for input. Attendees are permitted to park in the Fairmont State parking garage or the lot behind the Falcon Center.
“This public input meeting will provide us with invaluable information from Fairmont residents about the kinds of improvements and opportunities they want to see in this development,” Director of Planning & Development Shae Strait said. “The more input we have from the community, the better this project will be.”
This project shall be the first step in closing the four remaining gaps in West Virginia for the Parkersburg to Pittsburgh Trail (P2P) which is part of the larger multi-state Industrial Heartlands Trail Coalition (IHTC). More information on those is available on the Rails to Trails Conservancy website at www.railstotrails.org.