ERTS
All Gone
Sept 9 2021
Since the
beginning of time, County Clay has needed an "anchor" to hang
our tourism hat on. Other are still waiting for climate change
to just disappear and coal mining to save our bacon.
Thinking people have said for decades, the Elk
River is that anchor draw. It's a good one but nowhere close
to the Elk River Trail System State Park. Earlier this year
the Gov was on hand for the big opening of the Park. His
remarks were upbeat and the plans to extend the hiking,
biking, horseback riding trail up to Gilmer Station, down to
Reamer and eventfully clear down river to the Farmer's Market
in Charleston, what a great tourist attraction and financial
base for this County of Little. Gov Justice announced, the
Park is now open.
Now open for fun for about 16 months, everything
has changed.
Instead of being our center piece for growth, ERTS
should be blocked off as too dangerous for public use. It's
really that bad.
We've had some heavy rains this year but the wipe out
moment came with the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
We're talking about mud slides, top coat washed away,
culverts plugged up or washed out, ditch lines filled over the
pathway. Big trees, small trees, clear across ERTS, Several of
the large diameter leaning trees should be labeled widow
makers.
Instead of a smooth limestone sand top coat, in
many places, it's all gone. In other places rain across the
path has left 8 inch deep cuts making stroller use, easy
biking, impossible.
Even the .9 mile section of ERTS behind the Town, where
the new exercise equipment was added, mud slides covered over
section of the walkway.
From Ivydale to Pisgah, the best stretch of fun trail,
it's gone.
The major problem is, since the State Park service took
over our future, there has been no effort to maintain ERTS.
It's so bad, the newly hired Park Superintendent, the State
won't even announce his name. The announced plans to have a
trail side maintenance building and maintenance crew, it's too
late.
During a recent Commission meeting, the question came,
who do we call to complain or report dangerous conditions on
ERTS. There was no answer. Commissioners told the assembled,
they did not know who the Superintendent is nor did they have
a contact number for ANYBODY to report issues.
In our humble opinion, for ERTS to be usable, it's
going to take a complete reditching job, larger diameter
culverts properly installed, and new top coat for at least 10
miles of the trail.
There have been naysayers since trail construction
began 2 and 1/2 years ago. Narrow minded Clayonians
protested the investment into Clayberry.
For decades, old timers have said, you can't do
anything with these people.
One guy, Norman Wilson, 30 years ago, told the Ace Cub
Reporter, Clayberry could F up an anvil. Norman was right as
were those other old timers that said nothing good would ever
come to County Clay. We're seeing the same thing happen again.
It's our understanding, on Thursday, some of the
dangerous limbs, and full trees, have been tossed to the
wayside. That's a good thing.
But, it ain't enough. Every time a rider, hiker or
equestrian tries out ERTS and finds the complete and total
mess, they tell their buddies, don't go there. Once you lose a
new revenue source, a think wallet, they don't come back
As of this date, our bright and rosy economic
future has been beat down and probably gone. Thank you
state leadership.
AW