Greens bring Green$
Walking trails provide healthy income source to local areas
Kelly Trott wants to invest in the community she grew up in, and with the development of the Sheepskin Trail, the Uniontown native said she thinks she found the perfect place to showcase the potential of downtown.
无毛视频淜nowing the trail is coming is the number one reason (my husband and I) decided to invest in our own community,无毛视频� Trott said in regards to the purchase of a three-story abandoned building that sits at the current end of the sheepskin trail on Beeson Ave.
无毛视频淭rails like this bring more walkers and bikers and serve as active transportation for people,无毛视频� Trott said. 无毛视频淎nd we want to help support local businesses and help beautify our town无毛视频e want to help build community pride and help people feel uniontown is a place they can feel happy to live in.无毛视频�
While there are not any current plans for the building, Trott said she is looking into the options that will make the old Daily Record building a new attraction along the nature trail.
Nature trails, like the Sheepskin in Fayette County, can offer obvious benefits, a free place to exercise, host community events, or just enjoy the outdoors among them.
The trails can also bring new economic opportunities to an area.
无毛视频淚t doesn无毛视频檛 happen overnight,无毛视频� said South Union Township Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer, a longtime supporter of the Sheepskin and the opportunities it无毛视频檚 brought to the township. 无毛视频淚t takes time to nourish it, like planting a seed. You have to be patient, you have to tend to it, give it some care and you无毛视频檒l see it pay dividends.无毛视频�
Data from the nonprofit advocacy organization WeConservePA indicated that, on average, owners of businesses near or along a trail found that about 25% of their revenue came from trail users. Two-thirds reported that they experienced at least some increase in gross revenue because of their proximity to the trail.
无毛视频淭ourism is the biggest mover in our economy,无毛视频� Schiffbauer said. 无毛视频淎nything you can do to expand and improve to offer people more tourist attractions, you go for it.无毛视频�
Over one-quarter of the businesses that were surveyed in the WeConserve study reported to have 无毛视频渁lready expanded or plans to expand无毛视频� because of the economic impact from the trail.
Similarly, the latest The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Economic Impact Study found that since the trail was completed in 2013, an estimated $121 million dollars is brought into the surrounding area every year, benefiting Fayette, Allegheny, Westmoreland and Somerset counties.
Eric Snyder, director of outdoor recreation for the National Road Heritage Corridor, said trails like the Sheepskin and GAP in Fayette County have become a destination for people from all over the country, which means more money is being brought in from outside the communities.
The Sheepskin Trail is a 34-mile walking and biking trail that extends from Dunbar Township to the Point Marion Borough. Once completed, the trail will link to the Great Allegheny Passage and also connect to the 48-mile Mon River Trail in Morgantown, W.Va. The completed trail will also link with the Youghiogheny, Monongahela and Cheat River watersheds as a recreational greenway.
无毛视频淭he trails are a huge asset because they bring people all around the world and then come into these towns and spend money,无毛视频� Snyder said.
Other financial impacts of trails are less obvious, he said.
无毛视频淚t benefits wellness by making (for) a healthier population. It helps with transportation (which) means less cars on the road which means better air quality,无毛视频� he said.
According to a National Park Service study, communities compared people who lead sedentary lifestyles to those who exercise regularly. The exercisers filed 14% fewer health care claims, spent 30% fewer days in the hospital, and had 41% fewer claims greater than $5,000.
无毛视频淚t makes a difference,无毛视频� Snyder said.
Property values for homes around trails have also increased.
Scott Cavinee, founding broker for SWC Realty in Uniontown, said it无毛视频檚 apparent that trails have become commodities to the surrounding community.
无毛视频淭he Sheepskin Trail ends right where my office is,无毛视频� Cavinee said. 无毛视频淎nd I see every day how it brings people downtown. I see there are people walking, jogging, running, strolling with their kids, and it无毛视频檚 something that we have not seen in a very long time.无毛视频�
The latest Great Allegheny Passage economic impact report found that since 2013, median property value near the trail has increased by 13%. The same study shows that in Connellsville, through which the GAP runs, the median home value increased approximately 42% from 2013 to 2019.
Recognizing the draw, Cavinee said realtors often highlight the 无毛视频渘ext-to-trail无毛视频� feature when they advertise properties for sale.
无毛视频淧eople love biking and strolling outside with their kids,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭he trails invite them outside to be part of nature.无毛视频�