Montour Trail-Letter

by Bruce Barron

MTC President, Dennis Pfeiffer, presents plaques to Dick Quasey, Jack Peth, and Ned Williams, for their outstanding achievement of building the Quicksilver bridge over Rt. 980. Trail members enjoy an excellent buffet dinner.

There were almost too many accomplishments to fit into one message as outgoing Montour Trail Council president, Dennis Pfeiffer, presented his "State of the Trail" report at the MTC's annual dinner meeting on November 5. An impressive turnout of 75 trail enthusiasts enjoyed an excellent buffet dinner at the Findlay Township Community Center while Pfeiffer breezed through 20 highlights of the year 2000. The biggest applause was saved for the volunteer crew that planned, supervised, and carried out installation of the Quicksilver Bridge that now carries the Montour Trail over Route 980. Past MTC president Dick Quasey told the amazing story of the project's completion, recalling that after he described the Quicksilver situation at the 1999 annual meeting, retired engineer Jack Peth

approached him and said, "I'd like to help and I'll tell you what to do."

Peth followed through on his offer by managing a 14-member team of regular volunteers. Quasey joked that the volunteers became known as the "Hey Jack" group, "because nobody would do anything unless Jack was there to tell them what to do."

Quasey praised Greg Orient of J. F. Orient Inc., who completed excavation for the bridge abutments with precise accuracy and at no cost to the trail. He also presented a professional-quality video on the bridge construction, created by MTC member and Fort Cherry High School teacher, Ford Shankle. Quasey thanked Robinson Township (Washington County) and McDonald Borough for their assistance as well.

Quasey estimated that the contributions of volunteer time and professional service involved in the Quicksilver Bridge project saved the MTC $190,000.

Pfeiffer noted other achievements that made 2000 an excellent year for the MTC, such as:

• the completion (with MTC assistance) of substantial Panhandle Trail mileage in Allegheny County;
• the opening of new trail segments in Bethel Park, Jefferson Hills, and South Park;
• the lighting of the Enlow Tunnel (completed by Findlay Township);
• the acquisition of land along miles 0 to 7.3, preventing developments adverse to the trail; and
• an extremely successful MTC-IKEA race, which generated $8,000 in revenues for the trail.