Parkersburg Ohio River Trail gets a cleanup
Items recently removed from Martin Marietta property along the new Parkersburg Ohio River Trail are shown in these pictures provided by the City of Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)
Items recently removed from Martin Marietta property along the new Parkersburg Ohio River Trail are shown in these pictures provided by the City of Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)
Items recently removed from Martin Marietta property along the new Parkersburg Ohio River Trail are shown in these pictures provided by the City of Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)
Items recently removed from Martin Marietta property along the new Parkersburg Ohio River Trail are shown in these pictures provided by the City of Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)
Trending
PARKERSBURG -- City employees and a business have cleared brush, trash and debris from along the Parkersburg Ohio River Trail.
Martin Marietta was planning to remove scrapped and discarded items from their property near the trail even before an area resident raised concerns about it at the Dec. 12 City Council meeting, Mayor Tom Joyce said recently.
"They had been working toward this solution," he said.
That effort combined with work by members of the city's maintenance, engineering, parks and streets department to remediate brush, take out some trees and remove approximately 12 tons of trash and other debris have made the trail more appealing and safe, Joyce said.
"It basically opened up the view of the river for virtually the entire length now," he said.
As the project moved toward completion, Joyce often emphasized there would be a need for ongoing maintenance. The work done in the last couple of weeks will make mowing and other tasks easier when spring and summer arrive, he said.
A release from the mayor encouraged users of the trail to "leave no trace" with regard to trash. No waste receptacles are planned for the space, so people walking or riding the trail are encouraged to take their waste with them to dispose of appropriately.
A new 2.6-mile extension of the trail from the Pond Run outfall to the city limits just south of Grand Central Mall opened in September. That added on to half a mile between Pond Run and the amphitheater in Point Park.