The Athens City Council on Monday December 9, approved the Baileys Trail System project funding ordinance on its final reading. During the discussion, most members of council spoke in support of the Baileys Trail System and of the city directly investing in the project. After 2 months of deliberations, the city council surprised most pundits by passing the funding for the Baileys by a vote of 6 to 0. The New Political reported that “As the vote was announced as unanimous, Council President Chris Knisely, said ‘This is historic,’ amidst the uproarious applause from the many citizens in attendance.”
The positive outcome has been the result of involvement by many players, from national level support by the US Forest Service and Quantified Ventures, to regional and local organizations, to residents, and even those from outside the Athens area that have expressed their anticipation of the project and expectations to come to Athens to ride and enjoy the local food and culture.
The unanimous resulting vote by council is clearly evidence of the importance of this project to the economic future of the area.
After the city’s passage of funding for the project, Athens County Commissioners have already begun discussions about the county contributing funding toward the project. Stay tuned for more news on this as it becomes available.
Baileys Volunteer Trail Work Day – Saturday Dec 14, 8:00 AM
Come on out this Saturday and volunteer to assist trail builders, Black Diamond Designs and Linear-Active, to get the Phase 1 trails at the Baileys completed this month, and get a free preview of how awesome these trails are going to be.
- WHEN: Saturday Dec 14, 8:00 AM
- WHERE: Chauncey-Dover Town Park
- Link to Google Maps for Chauncey Town Park: https://goo.gl/maps/zmUoci34pXGW5xEG8
Dress for the weather, wear trail clothes, boots, bring work gloves and water/snacks. If you would like to join in after the meetup time of 8:00 AM, contact Danny Twilley to coordinate.
Point of contact for these and other Baileys trail work volunteer opportunities is Danny Twilley, cell: 410-708-7254, email: twilley@ohio.edu
Link to Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/449100655801037/?event_time_id=449100659134370