Published: September 01, 2007 08:09 pm      

Officials propose union of ATV trail, equine park in Mercer

BLUEFIELD — After helping to lure thousands of all-terrain vehicle riders to southern West Virginia, officials with the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Trail are now hoping to develop equestrian trails in Mercer County.

The authority is talking with organizers of Mercer County’s multi-use equestrian facility project in hopes of developing separate equine trails in conjunction with the cities of Bluefield and Princeton and the Mercer County Commission, Hatfield-McCoy Executive Director Jeffrey Lusk said.

At the same time, Lusk said the authority is still committed to the future construction of its ATV trail system in Mercer County as originally proposed by the authority. The last trail system opened by the authority was the new 75-mile Indian Ridge Trail in McDowell County. The authority currently operates six trail systems in five southern West Virginia counties.

“We will still build the ATV trail system in Mercer County,” Lusk said. “It’s a part of our original plan. We will build an all-terrain vehicle trail system in Mercer County.”

Lusk said the authority is hoping to develop equestrian trails near the multi-use equestrian facility project in Mercer County. Lusk said the issue — including applications for funding — could be considered by the authority board as early as this fall.

“This would be a logical first step for us to do,” Lusk said of the equine trail. “This would be our first equestrian trails.

Representatives of the Cities Equestrian Park Initiative Committee confirmed last week that an application with the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Authority was being considered by the cities and the county.

In the meantime, Lusk said officials hope to begin construction this fall on a 13-to-15 mile connector road at the Indian Ridge Trail system that will connect McDowell County with Wyoming County’s Pinnacle Creek Trail system.

“We’ve actually got a final route for those two systems mapped out,” Lusk said. “We are working with the landowners now to try to get that done. It’s something we want to get done this fall. It’s going to be a 13 to 15 mile connector road. Once they are put together, it will give us around 190 miles total in the two systems. This will actually become our largest trail.”

Lusk said the authority also has changed its permit system, and the results should have out-of-state riders returning often and leave local business owners smiling.

Lusk said the authority's current permit system consists of one-day pass for $19, a three-to-seven day pass for $37, an in-state annual pass for $26.50 and an out-of-state annual permit priced at $79.50, with sales tax included. The new system will eliminate the one-day and three to seven-day permits in favor of a cheaper out-of-state annual permits priced at $47. By eliminating the three-to-seven day pass and cutting the out-of-state annual pass by 40 percent, the authority hopes it will encourage out-of-state riders to hit the trails, and by extension the local businesses, more than once per year.

“Hopefully, this new system will simplify the entire permit process,” Lusk said. “It will increase our permit vendors profit per permit sold, make it easier for our rangers to identify riders, and convince our out-of-state riders to come back multiple times, all the while keeping our in-state annual pass the same price for West Virginia residents. From all angles it looks like a win-win situation for everyone.”

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com