WHEELING — The bike trail heading north from the city of Wheeling to the Brooke County line has around 300 cracks in it, and West Virginia Trail Partners want the Ohio County Commission to commit to repairing them.

Doug Patterson, representing West Virginia Trail Partners, recently appeared before the commission to address the issue. He noted a land-use permit signed in 2009 between the organization and the county stipulates the county has maintenance responsibilities on the trails.

“We just want to fix the cracks,” he told them. “There are two bad dips.”

He reported that fixing the cracks would take about 100 man hours and cost about $10,000.

The repairs are needed as West Virginia Trail Partners hopes to expand its trail system. Ideas have the trail going north from Wellsburg to Follansbee and south from McMechen to Glen Dale, according to Patterson.

West Virginia Trail Partners works to promote trails in West Virginia, and also partners with the national Rails to Trails group.The national group is working with such states as Maryland, Kansas and Louisiana to find grant money for their systems.

“A couple of them have some nice maintenance programs we’re going to try to adopt,” Patterson said.

He noted one issue is that there has been no manager of the local bike trails since Robert “Scat” Scatterday died in early 2019.

“We’re here to ask that we continue the partnership, which is based on the permit,” Patterson said. “We are probably going to need a new designation for a manager. I don’t know if that comes from our organization where we would recommend someone. And then you would appoint based on the permit?”

Patterson also reported to commissioners that other entities involved with the trails have been doing their part.

When the city of Wheeling did paving in 2019 and had asphalt remaining, they used it to pave the bike trail from the city limits up to the Pike Island Lock and Dam, he continued.

“They paved what you were responsible for based on this permit,” Patterson said.

On Memorial Day weekend, the West Virginia Trail Partners hosts an event. It is then that steel plates on the trail placed by oil and gas industries become an issue.

“We have to have them move them,” Patterson said. “If you hit one of those steel plates they have over the rail trail, it knocks the crap out of you.

“They have been good about [moving them], and putting down asphalt to make sure nobody gets hurt.”

He said about 100 to 200 people take part in the Memorial Day weekend bike trail ride each year. Other statistics estimate that about 100,000 people utilize the trail annually, according to Patterson.

“With us trying to do some things with expanding the trail, it could be a big economic driver – kind of like the Hatfield-McCoy Trail in southern West Virginia,” he said.

Patterson said there are about 300 cracks in the pavement at the northern end of the trail, and repairing them now would hold off a full paving of the area for another three to five years. Two and half miles would need to be done with the estimated cost exceeding $100,000.

Paving the trail generally lasts about 10 years, he noted.

“Ohio County is responsible for that end of the trail, though nobody took ownership of it,” Patterson continued.

County Solicitor Donald Tennant said he has reviewed the permit and found it to be an agreement allowing the county to go on the land occupied by the trail if needed, and there is some language regarding maintenance.

“I don’t have an opinion yet as to whether this legally binds the commission,” he explained.

Patterson said the West Virginia Trail Partners are just wanting to establish a working relationship with the commission, as they do with the city of Wheeling.

He noted the city has a person who trims trees from around the trail, cleans it off and helps with overall maintenance.

In addition, the oil and gas companies involved paid contractors to cut the grass along the where it intersects their property.

“It seems like everyone is working to maintain it, but how can we fix it up so we don’t have issues?” Patterson asked.

Commissioner Randy Wharton called the rail trail an asset to the community, and said the commission does want to partner with West Virginia Trail Partners.

“Your ask – I don’t think it’s unreasonable based on the value of the asset,” he told Patterson. “We could probably get something worked out.”