Lancaster City Bike Trail
Project Description
November 2010
I. Description of Trail
The Lancaster City Bike Trail is a linear park that will eventually connect Franklin, Fairfield, and Hocking county bike trails. The proposed City Trail will encircle the City with a 9.6 mile loop available to pedestrians and bicycles, interconnecting parks, schools, retail, and waterways within our City.
II. Community Needs met by Trail
A. Transportation Needs
State Route 33 bisects the City into an east and west sector moving 40,000 cars per day. Sidewalks are not required either on State Route 33 or the intersecting roadways making pedestrian/bike travel hazardous.
The City has identified the need to create safe school corridors within the City to assist school children in walking or riding bikes to school in corridors separated from motor vehicle traffic to promote safety. Seven (7) schools will be directly linked to the trail allowing for more protected movement of children as they are removed from vehicular traffic lanes.
B. Health Needs
Fairfield County completed its Health Needs Assessment, in 2002 to identify major health risks within Fairfield County. Within Fairfield County, 47% of adults are trying to loose weight as compared to national average of 38%. Within Fairfield County only 49% of the youth participated in strengthening exercises which is lower than the 54% national average. Also of concern is that 22% of Fairfield County youth seriously considered suicide in the last 12 months, higher than the 19% national average. Obviously, an accessible multi use bike trail would bring to youth and adults of Fairfield County the physical and mental health benefits of exercise at no cost.
Recreational opportunities will be provided to all residents through the only countywide Bike Trail in Fairfield County. Trail users will be families, youth, senior citizens, and the disabled as parks, schools, YMCA, Olivedale Senior Facility, and Forest Rose School for Disabled Children are all linked by a barrier free corridor.
C. Environmental Needs
Following along the proposed recreational trail corridor is Fetters Run, Baldwin Run and the Hocking River corridors.
To coincide with the recreational trail program, the City is aggressively undertaking a Stream Restoration Project along Baldwin Run. A Clean Ohio Conservation Fund Grant was awarded in the amount of $320,000 in 2003, which included engineering design to stabilize and restore a significant portion of Baldwin Run stream corridor. The bank stabilization, re-vegetation, and re-forestation will provide erosion control and wildlife habitat, creating a positive impact on water quality by providing aquatic life with needed shade and canopy cover along the bike trail.
A second environmental project associated with the City’s Bike Trail Program is the Anchor Hocking Brownfields Grant. The City was awarded a 2003 Brownfields Grant for 3 million dollars for the remediation and cleanup of the Anchor Hocking Plant 2 abandoned property. The Anchor Hocking Brownfield clean up will help improve the environmental setting within the area, preserve Greenway and Floodplain, and allow for economic revitalization.
These environmental projects along the trail allow our youth to have the educational and recreational benefits of the numerous waterways within the City.
D. Economic Development Needs
The City completed a 9 million dollar renovation of its downtown in 2000 and the Lancaster Heritage Business District desires to connect with the Lancaster City Bike Trail at Cenci Park by creating a trail lateral from the Park to downtown. Lancaster’s downtown contains restaurants, shops, banks, art galleries, museums, and antique stores. The downtown business association has already donated bike stands for restaurant locations welcoming cyclists to the downtown. We believe bike trail access to our historic downtown will partner with downtown revitalization by bringing people downtown to shop and eat.
E. Educational Needs
Educational benefits will be experienced on the trail as the following sites are incorporated into the trail:
1. Canal lands and earthworks are visible along the Hocking River and will have educational signage concerning the canals and locks.
2. Native American History will be incorporated within Rising Park at the “Standing Stone” Mountain where Native Americans conducted spiritual rituals and where the true story “Forest Rose” occurred. Interpretive signage will be added along the trail lateral.
3. Civil War History will be incorporated at the location of the Sherman House downtown, the family home of John and William Tecumseh Sherman. Lancaster was a hub of copperheads where a gathering of 15,000 met at the train depot upon release of Dr. Edson Olds, copperhead leader, from federal prison in what is termed “The American Bastille.” The irony of the community being the home of General Sherman yet a hub of the anti Lincoln copperheads will be addressed in interpretive signage.
4. African American History will be incorporated into the trail at two locations first, downtown was the home of Samuel Effinger whose name was a stop on the Underground Railroad and will have interpretive signage at the location. Secondly, at Walnut and High Street downtown sits “Allen Chapel” the original school and church for African American citizens. Since blacks were not allowed in the school, the church’s first floor was a school. The church was built by freed slaves and still operates as a religious cultural gathering place for the African American community of Fairfield County. Interpretive signage will provide a history lesson on the trail’s downtown lateral of this part of our history.
5. Environmental awareness will be promoted by opening the Hocking River now completely inaccessible to the public and the community. We will open the Hocking River to the public reducing illegal dumping and educating the public through cleanups, river canoe trips, and interpretive signage to respect and preserve riparian corridors through partnering with the Upper Hocking Action Group (UHAG) who has a proven history of advocacy and action on behalf of the Hocking River.
6. The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is located in downtown Lancaster and will be accessed via the downtown lateral. Housed in the 1830's Reese Peters Home, the Decorative Arts Center offers galleries, exhibits, art classes, seminars, interpretive tours to all segments of the community and visitors. This artistic jewel provides a one of a kind cultural enhancement to the trail.
7. Mammoth tooth found. A fossilized mammoth tooth was discovered two years ago by eleven-year-old Maria Horton along Fetters Run Creek while fishing with friends. Mammoths roamed the area now know as Fairfield County some 10,000-12,000 years ago.
8. McCleery Covered Bridge is part of the bike trail. This 50-foot long bridge build in 1864 has been placed over Fetters Fun (Phase I) from its current location in Pleasantville, Ohio.
III. Funding Sources for the Trail (11/10/2010 Updated)
Phase I
2001 Recreational Trails Program $130,000.00
2002 R. Alvin Stevenson Fund/Columbus Foundation $ 20,000.00
2002 Nannie B. Martens Fund/Fairfield Foundation $ 30,000.00
2003 Fairfield Medical Center $ 5,000.00
SUB TOTAL $185,000.00
Covered Bridge
2003 State Capital Budget $ 30,000.00
2003 Nannie B. Martens Fund/Fairfield Foundation $ 20,000.00
2003 Lancaster City Park & Recreation $ 15,000.00
SUB TOTAL $ 65,000.00
Phase II
2003 Clean Ohio Grant $420,000.00
2003 CDBG (engineering) 703.012 $ 10,000.00
2004 CDBG (engineering) 704.016 $ 8,000.00
2004 R. Alvin Stevenson Fund/Columbus Foundation $ 20,000.00
2004 Kodak American Greenway Award $ 1,000.00
2005 CDBG (Mary Burnham – concrete/asphalt) 705.022 $ 10,000.00
2005 Nannie B. Martens Fund/ Fairfield Foundation $ 10,000.00
2005 CDBG (materials) 705.016 $ 7,000.00
2006 Nannie B. Martens Fund/Fairfield Foundation $ 10,000.00
2006 City of Lancaster (Mary Burnham Bridge) $ 47,206.91
2007 CDBG (Mary Burnham Park Bridge) 705.016/707.020 $ 38,442.12
2008 Lancaster Parks & Recreation $ 1,900.20
2008 Stormwater Utility Bank Restoration Reimbursement $ 18,070.00
SUB TOTAL $601,619.23
Phase III
Carry over Phase II $ 31,277.43
2005 CDBG (Hocking River Bridge) 705.022 $ 20,000.00
2005 Clean Ohio Grant $ 400,000.00
2007 City of Lancaster/Carnival Bridge $ 10,000.00
2007 CDBG Hocking River (materials) 707.021 $ 10,000.00
2008 Bikes Belong $ 5,000.00
2008 George & Dollie L. Zimpfer Fund/Fairfield Foundation $ 45,000.00
2008 Alma Busby Fund/Fairfield Foundation $ 5,000.00
2008 CDBG Unspent Remainder $ 17,582.00
2009 Improvement Accounts $ 43,374.71
2009 CDBG Hocking River (materials) $ 15,000.00
Phase I carryover $ 60,169.54
Open Spaces Contribution $ 42,000.00
SUB TOTAL $ 764,403.68
Phase IV
2010 Clean Ohio COTF-128 $ 373,605.00
2010 Columbus Foundation $ 5,400.00
SUB TOTAL $ 379,005.00
TOTAL $1,995,027.91
IV. Public Participation
The Lancaster City Bike Trail has been in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette multiple times with monthly Fairfield Heritage Trails meetings scheduled to discuss issues and progress. Due to the use of public and corporate lands, public input has been overwhelmingly positive with no organized or vocal opposition.
V. Operation and Maintenance Capabilities
The Lancaster Park Board has agreed to take the completed Bike Trail as a City park. The Park Board has a staff of 14 and a budget of over $1,500,000 maintaining multiple parks, pools, skateboard park, ball diamonds, and green spaces. The Lancaster Park System has a maintenance and operations levy approved by the taxpayers.
VI. Facilities Connected by the Trail
1. The Trail directly links to:
a) Educational institutions: Thomas Ewing Junior High School, Lancaster High School, Ohio University, Fisher Catholic High School, General Sherman Junior High, Talmadge Elementary, and Forest Rose School for Disabled Children
b) Athletic facilities: Lancaster High School (tennis and basketball courts, soccer, football and baseball fields), Al Beavers Baseball Complex, Miller Park ball fields
c) Public services agencies: County Health Department, Forest Rose School and Developmental Center, OSU Agricultural Extension Offices, and Olivedale Senior Citizen Facility
d) Park facilities: Mary Burnham Park, Cenci Park, Fox Trail (existing 2 mile rail corridor trail), Hunter Park, Miller Park Pool, Martens Park, skateboard, ball fields,
e) Restaurants
f) Downtown lateral: A lateral will connect historic downtown Lancaster to Cenci Park incorporating historic sites such as the Sherman House Museum, Ohio Decorative Arts Center, galleries, and restaurants.
g) YMCA
h) Multi County link: The Trail will connect to the Franklin County trails at Pickerington Ponds to the north and the statewide Buckeye Trail which circles the state to the south.
i) River Valley Mall
j) City’s largest employer: Fairfield Medical Center
VII. Project Partners
City of Lancaster
Department of Transportation
Certified Building Department
Department of Engineering
Police Department
Fire Department
Waste Water Department
Water Department
Gas Department
Mayor
Sanitation Department
Service-Safety Director
Auditor
Lancaster School Board
Fairfield Heritage Trail Association
Fairfield County Commissioners
Lancaster Park System
Fairfield County Historical Parks
Fairfield County Health Department
Ohio University Lancaster
MRDD-Forest Rose School
Carnival Foods
Quality Plumbing
Krogers East
Vanity Cleaners
S&S Manufacturing
Estep Towing
Drummond Construction
Kendell Rentals