At a scheduled Grants Committee Meeting, a planned informational meeting was conducted to find out if our train trestles could be incorporated into a trail that would connect West Easton to Wilson (and Palmer owned property, or Easton).
The informational meeting was informal and took on an air of brainstorming solutions to possible problems and finding alternatives to funding. It was enlightening to all present, including those from the trails system who became more aware of the odd boundaries that jut in and out at certain points along municipalities.
As previously written, there is a plan on paper that involves West Easton, but revealed at the meeting was it is currently in a conceptual stage. The hope of trails people is to connect a gap in the trails that exists from Wilson to Easton.
Our hope is to move our trail from the conceptual stage to the planned stage. There are, however, a number of preliminary tasks that would need to be accomplished.
One is obtaining information on ownership of all land that the path would follow and if the former railroad still maintains easement rights to any of it.
For West Easton, we are 99 percent sure we own all rights to the old railway bed and trestle (crossing over Spring Street) the trail would follow without any restriction, or need to ask permission from, a former railroad in using it. It is believed the trestle over Iron Street is a shared ownership between West Easton and Wilson.
There is also a feasibility study that would have to be done by a structural engineer on the trestles. Unlike a visual inspection of the trestles that was done in 2016, this study would detail any structural deficiencies in the trestles and feasibility of planned use. The study would be needed when applying for grants to use the trestle as part of the trail.
On the bright side, grant money may be available to help with the trestle feasibility study, along with the trail “Development Plan.”
Part of that Development Plan may be to propose a trailhead in the large clearing below Niko Park, making the trail ADA compliant. Considering trailhead locations are preferred near parks it would be advantageous to us. On the other end of of the trail, coming from Wilson would be a spur path that leads to Iron Street, across from Gross Park and a possible trailhead below their assisted living facility.
The result would be two trailheads that aren’t connected and would be prime candidates to join with a completed trail along the railway bed.
All this, like the trail on paper, is just conceptual at this point. Another informational meeting is being planned for sometime in March.
For those interested in the meeting, I have posted the main talking points in the video below. I edited it to remove many “group” conversations that were taking place at the same time, often making either conversation unable to be understood on the audio.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
