Rotary Walk receives facelift
The Rotary Walk in Uniontown has received a fresh, new aggregate surface for the first time since the popular trail was built in 1986. Tom Hare, chairman of the Rotary Walk Municipal Authority and member of the Uniontown Rotary Club, said the resurfacing was needed to restore the trail’s original 8-foot width and weed killer was applied to rid the trail of unwanted weeds.
Water had accumulated in low spots, causing weeds to encroach on to the trail and narrow the path, said Hare, a retired dentist who practiced in the Uniontown area for 37 years. In some places, the trail was only 2 feet wide before the work was done, he said.
The heavily used three-quarter-mile trail, which runs from West Fayette Street in Uniontown to Lebanon Avenue in South Union Township, desperately needed the work, he said.
“It’s a highly used walkway. It’s so shaded and level. It’s a great place to walk,” Hare said.
The $11,172 facelift was completed in July. Hare said the nonprofit authority used donations and grants to pay for the improvements. City workers help with maintenance by cutting the grass along the trail and removing fallen trees, he said.
The authority consists of three members from the township and two from the city. The authority was needed because the trail spans two municipalities, Hare said.
Plaques honoring the late John Link, a Uniontown Rotary Club member who founded the authority and spearheaded construction of the trail, and the late Paul Demott, a board member who worked alongside Link, are located on benches that were placed along the walkway last year.
President Ronald Reagan invited Link to the White House to recognize the trail as a community service project, Hare said.