By Jenny Harnish, RealWV, www.therealwv.com
Officials from Greenbrier and Fayette counties gathered to cut the ribbon and celebrate the opening of the newest stretch of the Meadow River Rail Trail in Rainelle on Friday.
“This is a project of the Greenbrier and Fayette county commissions, which is so important because it’s two county commissions that have worked together for over 20 years to make this project happen – which is pretty rare for a project to survive that many local election cycles,” said Matt Ford, president of the Greenbrier Environmental Group and project coordinator for the Meadow River Rail Trail.
The Meadow River Trail is 18 miles long, stretching from the Rainelle trailhead to the Nallen trailhead, and Ford said plans are underway to connect the trail all the way to the Gauley River National Recreation Area.
“When you get about halfway down, there’s a bridge that crosses the Meadow River, and it looks like you’re somewhere out West – it is absolutely beautiful,” Ford said.
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner spoke at the event and said projects like the Meadow River Rail Trail are important for improving the quality of life in communities.
“Trails like this one are proven engines for our local economies,” Warner said. “This trail will bring visitors who stay in our local lodgings, eat in local restaurants, and shop in small businesses.”
Ford said visitors from other states are already using the trail and contributing to the local economy.
“Anytime you get more visitors to a trail, there’s more economic opportunity,” he said. “So we’ve already got people who are starting Airbnb short-term rentals and creating new businesses. We’re getting people from all over the eastern United States on the trail so far. They will come to Rainelle and spend money and hopefully buy a house, stay, start a business and help create that economic engine that we need to see in tourism.”
“But it also improves the local way of life, so people who live and work in Rainelle can come here on their lunch break and after work, enjoy the trail, and have fun and have just something else to do in town.”
