About the Fairfield Heritage Trail Association
In 1998, big changes were coming to Lancaster and Fairfield County. The Ohio Department of Transportation was deciding on a route for an interstate-class highway to bypass US Route 33 around Lancaster. A "Lancaster Bypass" had been discussed since the 1950s, but this time it was really going to happen. The proposed route of the bypass was going to obliterate a section of an abandoned railbed that paralleled US Route 22 between Amanda and Lancaster.
That got two of the founding members to call the regional Rails to Trails Conservancy office within a week of each other, and ask Jim Deming, the local RTC director, to come to Fairfield County and get started building a trail on the railbed before ODOT destroyed it.
Jim just laughed. Rails to Trails doesn't build anything and doesn't own an inch of trail. What they do is provide "tech support" to local community groups on how to accomplish building their own trail systems, and advocacy on a regional and national level to support funding for alternative transportation systems.. Jim told the second caller, "This is funny. I just got a call from a guy in Amanda last week about the same section of abandoned railroad. YOU two need to talk!" Jim put them in touch with each other, and from those two conversations, the Fairfield Heritage Trail Association was born. Jim came down from Columbus and toured the area with us. He was instrumental in helping us organize the group, set up public meetings, and begin to build an organization.
For years, members and folks around Lancaster have referred to FHTA as the "Bike Trail Group". We're proud to be members of this organization, but a "Bike Trail Group" is more than just a social club, just as a "Bike Trail" is more than just a trail.
FHTA is about connections. Like the connection Jim Deming made between the two founding members.
First of all, the trail is a concrete (asphalt?) example of connections -- connecting the parts of a community -- residential areas to parks, natural areas, schools, businesses, etc. Metaphorically, there are many more connections than the physical ones that first come to mind.
To build a trail system, people with a common vision have to connect to each other and agree that their goal is worthwhile. This is how an advocacy organization begins. After the group gets past the mundane details of building the organization (it took us 5 years before the first square foot of asphalt was paved), it needs to make connections to the community at large. That involves each member contacting other folks - politicians, community organizations, local government, park districts, businesses - and convincing them of the advantage of a trail system.
Further connections have to be made - to funding agencies that provide grants to build trails, to government agencies, businesses, and individuals that provide land suitable for a trail system.
The members of FHTA have made all these connections - to each other, and to the greater community. We've built more than just trails, we've built lifelong friendships. We hope to increase the physical connections to the trail system, but we also want to add more connections to the group.
If you'd like to help us build more connections, please consider joining FHTA. Come to a meeting. Download a membership form and send it in.
With your help, we can connect every part of Fairfield County to every other part and the larger trail system across Ohio.
We're looking forward to connecting with you.
In 1998, big changes were coming to Lancaster and Fairfield County. The Ohio Department of Transportation was deciding on a route for an interstate-class highway to bypass US Route 33 around Lancaster. A "Lancaster Bypass" had been discussed since the 1950s, but this time it was really going to happen. The proposed route of the bypass was going to obliterate a section of an abandoned railbed that paralleled US Route 22 between Amanda and Lancaster.
That got two of the founding members to call the regional Rails to Trails Conservancy office within a week of each other, and ask Jim Deming, the local RTC director, to come to Fairfield County and get started building a trail on the railbed before ODOT destroyed it.
Jim just laughed. Rails to Trails doesn't build anything and doesn't own an inch of trail. What they do is provide "tech support" to local community groups on how to accomplish building their own trail systems, and advocacy on a regional and national level to support funding for alternative transportation systems.. Jim told the second caller, "This is funny. I just got a call from a guy in Amanda last week about the same section of abandoned railroad. YOU two need to talk!" Jim put them in touch with each other, and from those two conversations, the Fairfield Heritage Trail Association was born. Jim came down from Columbus and toured the area with us. He was instrumental in helping us organize the group, set up public meetings, and begin to build an organization.
For years, members and folks around Lancaster have referred to FHTA as the "Bike Trail Group". We're proud to be members of this organization, but a "Bike Trail Group" is more than just a social club, just as a "Bike Trail" is more than just a trail.
FHTA is about connections. Like the connection Jim Deming made between the two founding members.
First of all, the trail is a concrete (asphalt?) example of connections -- connecting the parts of a community -- residential areas to parks, natural areas, schools, businesses, etc. Metaphorically, there are many more connections than the physical ones that first come to mind.
To build a trail system, people with a common vision have to connect to each other and agree that their goal is worthwhile. This is how an advocacy organization begins. After the group gets past the mundane details of building the organization (it took us 5 years before the first square foot of asphalt was paved), it needs to make connections to the community at large. That involves each member contacting other folks - politicians, community organizations, local government, park districts, businesses - and convincing them of the advantage of a trail system.
Further connections have to be made - to funding agencies that provide grants to build trails, to government agencies, businesses, and individuals that provide land suitable for a trail system.
The members of FHTA have made all these connections - to each other, and to the greater community. We've built more than just trails, we've built lifelong friendships. We hope to increase the physical connections to the trail system, but we also want to add more connections to the group.
If you'd like to help us build more connections, please consider joining FHTA. Come to a meeting. Download a membership form and send it in.
With your help, we can connect every part of Fairfield County to every other part and the larger trail system across Ohio.
We're looking forward to connecting with you.