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Spearhead Trails seeks to link networks; board approves $160,000 grant to buy connector parcel
Summary
Spearhead Trails told the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors it plans roughly 37 miles of new trails and an expanded 3,000-acre footprint; the board voted to accept a $160,000 Sharp Foundation grant to buy the Stephenson parcel (approx. 35 acres) to complete a connector for the Pocahontas ATV system.
Steve Pike, a representative of Spearhead Trails, told the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 5 that the authority is expanding its trail network in the county and has identified a parcel it says will complete a key connector.
Pike said the authority has increased staffing and is coordinating closely with VDOT and other state partners as it prepares permitting and access plans. "We're gonna increase about 37 minimum of 37 more miles of trails," he said, calling that a conservative estimate. Pike added the expansion would enlarge the county footprint by roughly 3,000 acres and boost tourism and local business activity.
The presentation emphasized preemptive coordination with VDOT on road and access improvements and earlier work creating an online permitting system to make entry easier for users. Pike said the authority hopes to have the main corridor ready for public use by Nov. 1 if agreements and weather cooperate.
Board members pressed for maps, crash and traffic data tied to increased ATV use, and details about how the proposed connector would affect local roads. Members discussed the statutory five-mile rule governing off-road-vehicle access to trailheads and suggested adding more formal access points to limit trailer traffic on narrow county roads.
After a closed-session discussion about property acquisition tied to the Pocahontas ATV trail, the board voted to accept a Sharp Foundation grant of $160,000 to acquire the Stephenson tract (identified in the meeting as Parcel Alpha 0053 Alpha, approximately 35 acres) for the trail system. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Pike said the Stephenson parcel helps avoid a costly wetlands crossing that earlier plans would have required. "When we originally looked at that parcel, it would have taken a bridge type system to have been constructed," Pike said, estimating a bridge permit and construction could have cost between a half-million and $1 million.
The board asked staff to continue coordinating with Spearhead on access points, safety data and potential grant funding opportunities to support roadway improvements tied to the trail expansion. The county also discussed making additional maps and marketing materials available to prospective trail users.
The board will record the Stephenson parcel acquisition and the Sharp Foundation funding acceptance in the county minutes and move forward with any required closings and permit coordination.
