BEDFORD GAZETTE: Consultant presents ideas for ’pike trail development – Commissioners hold town hall in Breezewood
Katie Smolen: Gazette Staff Writer August 21, 2017
The Bedford County commissioners held a town hall at the Breezewood Fire Hall Thursday when Craig W. Bachik, senior landscape architect for Navarro and Wright Consulting Engineers Inc., provided updates to the Pike2Bike master plan for the Old Pennsylvania Pike Trail.
BREEZEWOOD — A consultant for an eight-mile piece of abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike, known as Pike2Bike, pitched some ideas for the further development of the trail that runs through some of Bedford and Fulton counties.
In a town hall held at the Breezewood Fire Hall, not far from the western entrance for the trail, Commissioner Barry Dallara said that the trail can be a start to help retain youth in the area.
“Here’s the problem: All the old people, we don’t want to change things to make it better for young people and we complain every day that we want young people to stay here, so somewhere along the way we have to figure out a way to do that,” he said. Craig W. Bachik, senior landscape architect for New Cumberland-based Navarro and Wright Consulting Engineers Inc., said that the project is one of a kind.
“This is such a unique project in the aspect that that it’s more than just a recreational amenity, it’s an economic development,” he said. Bachik said that things such as security of the area and an emergency plan are being looked at as well as other things like the stormwater management.
“There are very few structural problems in the tunnels and we think we can fix the drainage issues for about a couple thousand dollars,” he said. Bachik went on to say that the lighting is also being taken into consideration. “Lighting is an experience but its also a safety thing,” he said. “How we treat that experience can be very traditional from a transportation standpoint or it can be creative or (it can) even go to a whole other level of illumination.”
Bachik also said that he would like embrace some of the vandalism in the tunnels with art. “What we’re looking at doing is washing over it — that’s one opportunity. But that creates problems long term. Do we literally blast away the old stuff to create opportunities for new? Do we reach out to local universities … and maybe have a competition at the collegiate level for murals. We’re looking at ways to embrace art into these tunnels and create an experience,” he said.
Bachik said that he believes the trail will be an even greater tourist attraction for both Bedford and Fulton counties. “This trail, I believe has the opportunity to bring millions of dollars into both Bedford and Fulton counties annually in a number of different ways,” he said.
Jim Miliausakas, district director for state Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr. attended the townhall on behalf of the senator, who was unable to attend. “He just wanted me to first off congratulate the group on all their hard work,” he said. “This is not something that happens overnight and I think that everyone in here can attest to that. He’s very excited about it and he supports the project 100 percent.”
Bachik said that the group plans to accomplish most of their tasks by the end of the year and plans to hold an open house on Sept. 23. “By that point, by September, we hope to have some really solid concepts together,” he said.