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Donations enable trail council to open office
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A group working on a path through the great outdoors now has a space for itself indoors.
The Montour Trail Council will open its office in Bridgeville at a ceremony scheduled for 6:30 tonight. The rent is being paid for two years by an anonymous donor, and many of the furnishings were contributed.
Tonight's ceremony, which is open to the public, will include a presentation by Burgh's Pizza and Wings of a $6,000 contribution to the council. The money is from the first Burgh's Run, a 10-kilometer race that took place April 21 along the Montour Trail in Cecil Township.
Furniture and filing cabinets, valued at about $1,600, were donated by PNC Bank and Automated Data Processing.
The office is at 304 Hickman St., just off Washington Avenue (Route 50) and immediately behind the Bridgeville post office.
The council's office, on the second floor of the building, has several rooms, including a conference room and storage space, said Peter Kohnke, council president. The new space not only will give council members a place to keep paperwork, but will also provide a central meeting place.
"We've been sort of working out of our homes," Kohnke said. "Records here and records there.
In addition to meeting with each other, council members often meet with engineers and other providers assisting with trail planning and building, explained John Hooton, council member. Having an office "gives us a sense of identity," he said.
The Montour Trail is a 59-mile hiking and biking trail being constructed primarily through volunteer efforts. It will stretch from Robinson Township south to McDonald, Washington County, east through Cecil and Peters townships, and back into Allegheny County through Bethel Park, South Park and Jefferson Hills before ending in Clairton.
Current council projects include working to complete about three-fourths of a mile of trail near Brush Run Road in Bethel Park. That will connect with the Peters Township portion of the trail. The organization received a $59,000 state grant for that project. Kohnke said the council must match part of the grant so members are looking for more funding.
Earlier this month, the group opened a section of trail from Cecil Park to Route 980.
The group plans to restore the trail's bridge over Georgetown Road. The bridge was damaged in December when it was struck by a crane truck, Kohnke said. The group also plans to build storage facilities along the trail to store tools.
"Help is needed," Kohnke said. "We don't want people sitting on their hands and waiting to see what happens next. We want people to get involved and make it happen."
The council doesn't plan to staff the office. The best place to get information about the trail will still be the organization's Web site at www.montourtrail.org or by calling (412) 831-2030.
Susan Schmeichel can be reached at sschmeichel@tribweb.com or (412) 306-4527.
The Montour Trail Council will open its office in Bridgeville at a ceremony scheduled for 6:30 tonight. The rent is being paid for two years by an anonymous donor, and many of the furnishings were contributed.
Tonight's ceremony, which is open to the public, will include a presentation by Burgh's Pizza and Wings of a $6,000 contribution to the council. The money is from the first Burgh's Run, a 10-kilometer race that took place April 21 along the Montour Trail in Cecil Township.
Furniture and filing cabinets, valued at about $1,600, were donated by PNC Bank and Automated Data Processing.
The office is at 304 Hickman St., just off Washington Avenue (Route 50) and immediately behind the Bridgeville post office.
The council's office, on the second floor of the building, has several rooms, including a conference room and storage space, said Peter Kohnke, council president. The new space not only will give council members a place to keep paperwork, but will also provide a central meeting place.
"We've been sort of working out of our homes," Kohnke said. "Records here and records there.
In addition to meeting with each other, council members often meet with engineers and other providers assisting with trail planning and building, explained John Hooton, council member. Having an office "gives us a sense of identity," he said.
The Montour Trail is a 59-mile hiking and biking trail being constructed primarily through volunteer efforts. It will stretch from Robinson Township south to McDonald, Washington County, east through Cecil and Peters townships, and back into Allegheny County through Bethel Park, South Park and Jefferson Hills before ending in Clairton.
Current council projects include working to complete about three-fourths of a mile of trail near Brush Run Road in Bethel Park. That will connect with the Peters Township portion of the trail. The organization received a $59,000 state grant for that project. Kohnke said the council must match part of the grant so members are looking for more funding.
Earlier this month, the group opened a section of trail from Cecil Park to Route 980.
The group plans to restore the trail's bridge over Georgetown Road. The bridge was damaged in December when it was struck by a crane truck, Kohnke said. The group also plans to build storage facilities along the trail to store tools.
"Help is needed," Kohnke said. "We don't want people sitting on their hands and waiting to see what happens next. We want people to get involved and make it happen."
The council doesn't plan to staff the office. The best place to get information about the trail will still be the organization's Web site at www.montourtrail.org or by calling (412) 831-2030.
Susan Schmeichel can be reached at sschmeichel@tribweb.com or (412) 306-4527.
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