Montour Trail-Letter

Volume 10, Issue 6

November/December, 1999

The Montour Trail Council is building trail this fall between Clifton and Logan Roads. The money ($72,000) has been acquired and Ellis Asphalt Paving has been selected as the contractor. This new mile will add to the one mile of trail also built by Ellis Asphalt Paving last fall. Also being built are an access ramp by Washington School and two parking lots. The informal 7 car lot along the 'old' trail at Limestone Drive will be officially finished. The other lot is a new one for 23 cars opposite the Ukrainian Orthodox Church cemetery along Irishtown Road. The trail will end at Logan Road, with some benches being installed later at the overlook to mark the end of the Bethel Spur. As this is being written, we are working to extend the contract to include a ramp on the south side of Clifton Road. And for now, there will be an at-grade crossing of Clifton Road, but a bridge has been proposed.

This didn't just happen. Many entities contributed. The main ones were:

• Allegheny Power, for allowing us to build the trail on their land, as well as providing us with $7400 in construction funds.
• The Bethel Park Municipal Council, which provided $10,000.
• Representative John Maher and Senator Tim Murphy, for providing the $25,000 DCED (PA Dept. of Conservation & Economic Development) grant.
• The Allegheny Regional Asset District for providing us $29,600 by way of the Allegheny Land Trust.
• Evey Hardware, for donating a bicycle to be raffled off at the Bethel Park Community Day, and for Signmaster for making a sign acknowledging the donation.
• The people and organizations who made contributions in memory of Dr. Thomas Ulicny of Upper St. Clair.
• The numerous other individuals who made financial contributions.

• The Bethel Park Public Works Department, which provided some serious earth moving this winter, as well as continuing waste removal.
• USA Waste, for accepting the waste.
• The Bethel Park School Board, for working with us on the ramp by Washington School, as well as permitting some parking.
• Al's Café for permitting parking on the unpaved parts of their parking lot.
• St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for making the parking area opposite their cemetery available to us.
• The board of the Montour Trail Council, which provided the organizational and legal structure.
• Dave Wright, who tirelessly did most of the engineering of the trail, with the support of his employer, Allegheny County.
• And finally, to the many trail volunteers of the Friends of the Montour Trail in Bethel Park who worked so long and hard, cleaning and clearing the right-of-way over the last year.