The Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority is closer to building a system of 80 to 100 miles of all-terrain vehicle trails stretching from Chesapeake to Madison, its executive director told the Kanawha County Commission Thursday night.
Jeff Lusk said the authority is waiting on the approval of one more landowner, whose identity has not been disclosed, before the trails can be built. Once the landowner gives approval, building the trails will take between a year and a half to two years, Lusk said.
Lusk's announcement came at a regular meeting of the commission Thursday.
The project would include a trail head near Chesapeake. Of the 80-100 miles, about 70 percent would be in Kanawha County, Lusk said. They would be the Hatfield and McCoy Trails' first miles in Kanawha County, Lusk said.
Last year, the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority issued more than 39,000 annual permits to ATV riders, most of whom came from out of state, Lusk said.
"Many of these folks are people who could be staying here in the valley - staying in hotels, eating in the restaurants," Lusk said.
The new trails would be open to off-road vehicles like Jeeps, Humvees and off-road trucks. ORVs are allowed on only one other trail system within the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system, Lusk said.
Lusk said once the trails are developed he believes it will be one of the most successful portions of the trails because there's already so much lodging infrastructure.
Commission president Kent Carper said getting a section of the trails in Kanawha County is something officials have tried to accomplish for a long time.
"In the other areas of the state that has it, there's a huge amount of people coming in from out of state, staying overnight, eating at the restaurants, buying beverages, going to the movies ... There's great benefit to it," Carper said.
The new funding for the next trails, which will cost between $250,000 and $300,000, will come from a federal recreational trails grant with a 20 percent match from the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority, Lusk said.
In other business:
n The commission approved a resolution to send a letter to legislators to express concern over Senate Bill 212, which would change the way cases against people accused of driving under the influence are prosecuted. Under current law, when a person has a DUI, there are two sides to the cases: criminal and administrative. Administrative hearings are handled by the Division of Motor Vehicles. The bill would eliminate the administrative side and have magistrates and prosecutors handle the cases, Carper said. That sounds good, but cases will slip through the cracks, Carper said.
"For some unknown reason this Legislature is looking like they're serious about eliminating what most people consider a model for the United States of America, our current DUI enforcement scheme," Carper said.
The bill's proponents argue that the DMV is behind on those cases and doesn't get them done, Carper said.
"Well, the statistics show an amazing reduction in DUI fatalities since this system has been put into place," Carper said.
County officials planned to go to the Legislature Friday to speak against the bill, he said.
"I've seen some foolish things but this may be [in] the top 5," Carper said.
n Tom Davis, recorder for the town of East Bank, complained to commissioners about a proposed rate increase by the Kanawha Public Service District that's pending before the state Public Service Commission.
Davis said the rate would increase by 19.5 percent, which would negatively affect the town's approximately 900 residents.
A representative for the PSD said the rate increase has two tiers and would actually be 9 percent more than what residents are paying now.
Todd Dingess, a CPA, said the proposed rate increase would go from $2.77 per 1,000 gallons to $2.99 per 1,000 gallons. The average customer would pay about a dollar more per month on their bill, Dingess said.
Davis said the town would like to have representation on the PSD board, but state law prohibits that. The town tried to get a bill through the Legislature that would allow the town to have representation on the PSD, but the bill didn't go anywhere.
n Commissioners approved a request for $5,100 to fund a new roof for the Charleston Northeast Little League.
n A public hearing for a proposal to build a multi-million dollar sports complex at Shawnee Park in Dunbar is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 5.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.