Trail Towns Outreach Corps 2011

July has been a very busy month for the Great Allegheny Passage Sustainable Business Network (GAPSBN)! Here's a list of just a few things we've been working on:

-Currently finishing up re-assessments of current 17 member businesses to quantify their sustainability initiatives and performance
-The new points system will allow businesses to see where they are at with sustainability and will allow trail users and other customers to know which businesses are performing
points system has been refined, and we are now awarding "half-leaves" with our 3-leaf rankings
-Member networking event to be held (tentatively on Wednesday, November 2) at Levi Deal Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Meyersdale; will include a tour of the house and its sustainability measures, a small presentation, food, and refreshments
-Informational table at the Ohiopyle Sustainable Energy Fair; will see if member businesses are interested in tabling as well to demonstrate their commitments to sustainability
-Recruiting of new businesses continues in all of the Trail Towns, as well as in other towns along the trail, and will continue to the end of the year
-We have already started assessments of potential businesses, such as El Canelo Mexican Restaurant in Connellsville and ArtWorks Connellsville
planning new marketing initiatives to better promote member businesses to trail users and the general public

For more information check out our website www.gapsbn.com

July was spent preparing for the Trail User Survey, and August was spent monitoring and conducting the Trail User Survey. This month I was able to let survey take course with the help 40+ volunteers. Each week TTOC and volunteers are surveying trail users (both locals and through riders) to find out where they’re coming from, where they’re going, what they’re spending, and what they are doing on the Great Allegheny Passage. This year surveys are taking place in the following Trail Towns: Homestead/Waterfront, McKeesport, Boston, West Newton, Connellsville, Ohiopyle, Confluence, Rockwood, Meyersdale, Frostburg, and Cumberland. So far we have collected over 600 surveys from these eleven locations! One concern from the previous survey was “cherry picking” the over-night visitors. So far the results seem to have a mix of locals and long distant bicyclers. One can already see trends based on the time of day with who is using the trail. At this time, the plan is to continue surveying until mid October.
-William Prince

I have been very active in West Newton this summer spending time with Downtown West Newton Inc (DWNI), Westmoreland Yough Trail Chapter (WYTC), and several businesses.
Working with DWNI in part with the preservation plan, I have been working on our educational outreach for the upcoming West Newton Community Days in September. For this event, DWNI Design and Promotions committees will be holding a booth to help promote the work of DWNI and the happenings in West Newton. I have created a handout for event visitors to go on a photo hunt for architectural details in downtown West Newton. This encourages them to explore the downtown and see details they may have never seen before. Other handouts will include a “preservation myths” information sheet for those interested in the potential West Newton historic district and a coloring book style photo image of the old B&O train station to be re-envisioned. Also, a slideshow will feature information about the GAP Trail, WYTC, DWNI, and historic photos.
Also, I am continuously working on the Downtown West Newton Historic District. At the end of July, I meet in town with Bill Callahan of Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission (PHMC) and Erin Hammerstadt of Preservation Pennsylvania. I had previously worked with Bill on a University of Pittsburgh course project. We did a survey of what I’ve been working on and what Erin and I considered already in previous walks in town. This was very helpful. We concluded that West Newton’s “story” would focus on its transportation history – starting with the ferry, introduction of the train, and advancements with the automobile and bridge. From here I have been able to focus my work and border for the district.
I also attend the monthly WYTC meetings at the West Newton Visitor’s Center. One assignment I worked on this month for them is finding a new use for the restored rail car. Members were interested in an artists’ co-op market. From this information, I contacted the I Made It Market based in Pittsburgh. The I Made It Market responded greatly. Many of their artists are looking for this type of opportunity, and it was also suggested to also include a workshop space for classes and other demonstrations. WYTC is currently continuing to see how this rail car can be utilized.
Other happenings in West Newton included visiting and contacting businesses in West Newton. I started by passing out Trail Town Program brochures to a pizza shops, visitors center, B&B, and restaurants. I also experienced my first GAPSBN assessment at the Trailside. Here I was able to see what goes on in the assessment and what businesses are doing as well as looking to do to become more sustainable in their practices. So far the Bright Morning Bed & Breakfast is scheduled for an assessment as a new member. Each visit I look to see interest of new members.
The remainder of the year in West Newton is packed with various events – Poker Run, Community Days, Oktoberfest, Car Cruise, and Miracle on Main to name a few. I look forward to helping out with these events and my monthly meetings for the remainder of the year.
-William Prince

Connellsville Caboose Welcome Center
• In July, the SCA Trail Town Outreach Corps received a grant from the Sprout Fund Seed Award to retrofit an unused caboose at the northern trailhead of the GAP in Connesllville into a Welcome Center.
• The various volunteers will be contributing to this project in the following ways:
o Creation of mural/welcome center sign by two local artists, Laura Koposko and Jessica Lotman
o Preparing the caboose for painting by students from the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center
o Painting of the caboose by the Connellsville Street Department
o Detailing the caboose by the local Hobo Club
o Building of stairs for the caboose by students from the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center
o Gathering brochures, menus, and other promotional materials for the brochure holder inside the caboose
o Installing large maps of the GAP, of the City of Connellsville, and of the Connellsville Bike Loop inside the caboose
o Installing a narrative about the history of the caboose, the railroad, and the rails to trails project inside the caboose
• We thank the City of Connellsville for allowing the use of the caboose and the Yough River Trail Council for their continuing support. This project supported in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund.

The Sprout Fund enriches the Pittsburgh region’s vitality by engaging citizens, amplifying voices, supporting creativity and innovation, and cultivating connected communities. Founded in 2001, Sprout facilitates community-led solutions to regional challenges and supports efforts to create a thriving, progressive, and culturally diverse region. With strong working relationships to many community organizations and regional stakeholders, The Sprout Fund is one of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s leading agencies on issues related to civic engagement, talent attraction and retention, public art, and catalytic small-scale funding.

-Emma Strong

Great Alleghey Passage Sustainable Business Network (GAPSBN)

• Reassessments of current GAP SBN members are in full swing in the Trail Towns. Reassessments are a necessary process to help quantify the sustainability of current businesses and potential members. Businesses scoring excellent receive a raking of three leaves, very good scores receive two leaves, and good scores rank with one leaf.
• Check out the new GAP SBN website for the most updated rankings of our businesses – www.gapsbn.com.
• The SCA Trail Town Outreach Corps continues to post weekly blogs. Check out this month’s blogs at www.gapsbn.com.
• We are in the process of recruiting new GAP SBN members. Each TTOC member is currently distributing brochures to businesses in each of the Trail Towns.

-Emma Strong and Phil Wu

This month, I called the vendors for updates and asked about selling trends, prices, and quality. There have been no problems with quality of this year’s ice cream. Kerber’s Dairy has created good quality ice cream for us. I got to taste the Maryland flavors that are being produced by Queen City Creamery on our bike trip from Rockwood to Cumberland. The Frostburg and Cumberland flavors are very good and well worth the stop along the trail.

For the past few years, various towns and sites have been home to Fayette County Wednesday Walks, an initiative for healthy lifestyles within the County.

This year, TTOC was asked to host a Walk in Connellsville! In March, a meeting was held in Uniontown to talk what tours will take place as well as ideas for new locations and types of tours.

In late June, Will and the RTOC crew attended the Friendship Hill Wednesday Walk to see what all happens at these events.

The two weeks before the Walk we started to compile ideas for routes and major talking points.

During the week of the Walk, TTOC members Will, Maggie, and Mandy got together to practice and review the spiels for the tour.

Wednesday July 20th finally arrived and locals and visitors were ready for their weekly Wednesday Walk - even though it was one of the hottest days of the year!

About 70-80 people participated this evening between the two tour groups. Highlights included a tour of community gardens along Third Street, the Pittsburgh and Crawford corner lot, Community Center, and the Great Allegheny Passage (its history and the projects we work with it).

Even with the heat, the tour/walk was a success!

-William Prince

Growing through the Heat!
July has been a hot month! The gardens have flourished in the heat with our regular watering schedule in place. Each member of the Trail Town Outreach Corps was given a morning to water a specific garden and the gardens have appreciated their efforts. On arguably the hottest day of July, Emma, Elisa, and I met with Marty, a community garden volunteer, to spruce up the gardens in front of Highlands Hospital, a community hospital in Connellsville. Marty donated Hostas from his garden and the hospital brought more plants to fill the near-empty beds with life and color. After planting, we gave the plants a long drink of water and did the same for ourselves.
In the Armory garage garden, the tomatoes have grown into a bushy forest with shiny Italian basil undergrowth and bright marigolds scattered throughout. The cucumbers are climbing the chain-link fence with yellow blossoms and a few full-size cucumbers hanging on. The beans and squash have blossomed and flowered and the peppers have shown beautiful variations of leaf colors and shapes. The community center garden has a bounty of green tomatoes, full-size Spaghetti Squash, Emerald Gem melons, Purple Haze purple carrots, red geraniums, and sunflowers that are taller than I am! Our donations to the Connellsville foodbank and Salvation Army soup kitchen grew this month, with Spaghetti Squash, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, mixed lettuce, and peppers. Along with produce, we had a bounty of great ideas and volunteers this month!
Dave Stupka, a master gardener in Connellsville, proposed two great projects for the gardens along 3rd St. The first, on the 11th, was a classic Schwinn road bike that we planted in the middle of the beautiful Painted Lady Runner Beans and named a “bean bike.” We wrapped the fast-growing vines around the frame, wheels, and handlebars, and within a week the beans had enveloped the bike entirely with beautiful red and white blossoms. Dave’s second project along 3rd street is a pilot irrigation system involving a just PVC tube and gravel. The tube will be planted below ground after sawing the top off and filling half of it with gravel, allowing roots to have a steady reservoir of water that is easily monitored and filled by gardeners. This system was installed by volunteers from the Youth Action Crew high school group as an experimental garden concept that could be applied along the entire street.
Looking forward to August, the tomatoes and peppers will soon ripen! BLT season is on its way!

-Maggie Adams

Phillip Wu recently graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and anthropology. Originally from Plano, Texas, Phil will be working in the Trail Towns along the Great Allegheny Passage, combining his interests in community planning and sustainability to evaluate how to better connect the trail and the towns. In his free time, Phil enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and exploring new places.