Over the last few weeks, we have read with great interest the information that has been shared with citizens regarding the potential sale of the Pickens Doodle Rail line in hopes of converting it into a walking / biking trail.
The Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce recently surveyed our membership and found that an overwhelming 90 percent of our membership supports city and county leaders working together to purchase the property for the sole purpose of developing a hiking/biking trail.
One only has to look as far as the neighboring county of Greenville to see the impact a trail such as this has on a community. The Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville was designed to promote active living and multi-modal transportation options. An added bonus to this is that the Travelers Rest and Greenville areas are reaping much more than an enhanced quality of life, they are also seeing a huge economic impact as a direct result of the trail. Many findings suggest that outdoor enthusiasts are willing to invest big bucks in travel and equipment to bolster their love of the outdoors. Whether it’s hiking or biking, the Easley Chamber feels that a trail would serve not only to greatly impact the quality of life in Pickens County, it would also serve as a huge economic impact to the area.
Recent findings from a study conducted by Furman University on the first year of the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville show that the economic impact to the areas of Traveler’s Rest and Greenville in general has been very positive:
• Over 359,000 users visited the trail between July 2010 and July 2011
• Most business owners reported 30%-85% increases in sales, with some reporting as high as 160% increases
• Several businesses have decided to re-locate closer to the trail to increase sales
The Ecusta trail is proposed to run from Hendersonville to Brevard spanning the counties of Henderson and Transylvania. A recent in-depth study for this proposed trail found the following:
• 180 jobs will be created with the construction of the trail ($20 million impact to the local area)
• $22 million in property value increases, up to $160,000 per year in property tax revenues generated
• Over 20,000 new visitors as a result of the trail, which will inject about $2 million into the local economy, and create 27 new jobs
• 1,600 new exercisers, which can be calculated to about $5 million per year in health care cost reductions
It is the position of the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce that our community leaders (Pickens County, City of Easley, and City of Pickens) should work together for the purchase of the Doodle Line. We further ask they work alongside private support to establish the rail line as a trail that could be used to enhance the quality of life in Pickens County, as well as serve as a foundation for economic development and the promotion of tourism within Pickens County. With our abundance of lakes, mountains, and tourism opportunities, this would only go to enhance our quality of life, and the possibility of increasing tourism for the local area.
Board of Directors and Members of the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce
At present we have economically trying times. Taxpayers are struggling to pay their monthly bills and taxes. The first economic lesson I taught as a first grade teacher was the difference between wants and needs. So I ask you is a bike/walk path a need or a want? Take a look at Greenville's 2013 budget allotment for the Swamp Rabbit Trail...6.275 million? Do we really want to burden the taxpayers for bicyclers and walkers who already have plenty of taxpayer funded roads and sidewalks they can ride and walk to get their exercise? The supporters claim they want a safe place to exercise ...but if they are so concerned with safety...why did the Greenville Hospital survey find that over 50% weren't even wearing a helmet??? The taxpayer is already on the hook for major debt in our county, state, and especially our Federal Government! We can't afford the “fluff” of a new costly bike path! If we did have a surplus of funds...why not improve upon the Jaycee Park and Playground of Promise or the trail at Haygood Mill?
Do we even know whether the original landowners sold these corridors to the railroad or just granted an easement of right of way? The US Justice Dept has now lost over 20 CONSECUTIVE rails to trails cases in the past one and half years. The most recent being one in Florida where Judge Emily Hewett ruled in favor of the property owners and awarded them just compensation as well as court and lawyer fees. Do we really need to burden the taxpayers with the costly court cases?
Supporters of this project claim they want to promote this trail due to the obesity problem. REALLY???? I did not see one single reference in the Greenville Hospital's survey as to how many surveyed were obese or if the people surveyed had weight loss goals. The survey did show that 62% of users of the bike trail were white young male bicyclists with79% having a college degree and making over $80,000 a year. How many of Pickens County citizens fit this category? Few minorities,children, teens or seniors were observed using the track. The fact is the majority of the supporters simply “want” a place to ride their bikes at the expense of others. Supporters also claim a boom in economic development...guess which kind of new businesses it brought in? Ones that sell food!!!! So how is this helping the obese? Swamp Rabbit trail businesses reported trail users are taking up their parking spaces and using their bathrooms which negatively affect their profits..So just where are people going to use the bathroom on the Pickens Doodle Corridor? Probably... by trespassing onto private property behind a bush or going up to these property owner's houses and asking if they can use theirs!
Rails to Trails is nothing more than a strip park and will bring with it all the expenditures associated with maintenance, police patrolling for crime, and litigation issues. Would I WANT a bike/walk path? Sure I would! But when Pickens County is already nearly 400 million dollars in debt is this a burden we NEED?