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County asks PennDOT for help in Sheepskin dispute

By Suzanne Elliott selliott@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Fayette County Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites points to the rough gravel that covers a portion of the Sheepskin Trail north of Dunbar Borough. In a recent letter to Leslie Richards, PennDOT secretary, the commissioners said in May 2016, Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad removed a .5-mile section of the trail near Dunbar to construct a new rail yard.

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Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard

A sign cautions cyclists of rough terrain over a portion of the Sheepskin Trail north of Dunbar Borough. In a recent letter to Leslie Richards, PennDOT secretary, the Fayette County commissioners said in May 2016, Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad removed a 0.5-mile section of the trail near Dunbar to construct a new rail yard.

The Fayette County commissioners have asked the state Department of Transportation to help it resolve an ongoing dispute with Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad regarding a small section of the Sheepskin Trail in Dunbar Township.

In a June 29 letter to Leslie Richards, PennDOT secretary, the commissioners said in May 2016, the railroad removed a 0.5-mile section of the trail near Dunbar to construct a new rail yard. That removal, they said, effectively severed the two-mile segment that connects Dunbar Borough with future trail municipalities. Fayette officials contacted PennDOT for help because the state agency provided funding for both the rail yard and the trail.

“The county has exhausted all means of negotiating an amicable solution …and hopes your department can assist us in finding a mutually agreeable and beneficial result for the county and the railroad,” the letter said.

Vince Vicites, commission chairman, said the county has a lease to use a portion of the property where the rail pad is located for the trail. The lease runs until 2031, he added.

“We thought the railroad and the trail could co-exist,” Vicites said. “But, they weren’t happy with a trail close to an active rail line.”

The letter to Richards said county representatives, as well as PennDOT officials and representatives from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, met in late March at the site and were led to believe the issue would be resolved.

“On May 16, 2017, the county received photos via email from the railroad showing a slightly improved surface that had been boomed and rolled but without any other corridor improvements,” the letter said.

Vicites said the area still needs to be smoothed out. There are places where large rocks jut out, presenting a hazard to cyclists.

“We want to co-exist,” Vicites said. “But, they can’t destroy the trail.”

Richard Wilson, an attorney for the railroad, said close consideration is being given to the county’s request.

“We will be providing additional information to the Secretary of Transportation to facilitate a resolution of this matter,” Wilson said.

Bob Shark, executive director of the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, said more than 30,000 cyclists pass through the intersection that connects the trail with the Great Allegheny Passage Trail in Connellsville. When complete, Sheepskin will be 34 miles from Dunbar to Point Marion.

“A recent study showed that riders spend an average of $20 per day on the GAP with a jump to $125 by the 60 percent of them who also make an overnight stay,” Shark said. “Because of the Sheepskin trail impasse on the railroad property those riders can no longer get to Dunbar to spend their money.”

Vicites said the county wants the trail fixed and is prepared to take legal action if necessary.

“We want the trail to be up to standard,” he said.

Shark agreed.

“Ridership on the Sheepskin will expand similarly to what’s happening on the GAP, bringing the same growth you see in Connellsville to Dunbar, Point Marion, Uniontown and other places along the Sheepskin,” Shark said. “Tourism is one of our biggest industry sectors in Fayette County and bike trails are also enticing to a younger demographic we so desperately need in our workforce.”

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