OPINION
I had lunch with Occoquan Town Mayor Earnie Porta a couple of weeks ago. We talked about Trails. Earnie is also the Treasurer of Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition and an advocate of improving trail connectivity in Prince William County.
We broke bread at Occoquan’s Secret Garden Café. Some of you may remember it as the Garden Kitchen. Earnie (nobody calls Mayor Porta “Mayor Porta,” he’s “Earnie”) explained that the previous owners retired, and the restaurant is now under new management. (Two thumbs up on the Cream of Broccoli Soup, by the way! I plan to go back.)
Those of you who know Earnie and perhaps follow him on Facebook are aware of his appreciation for outdoor sports. Whether he’s leading a kayak tour on the Occoquan, rock climbing, scuba diving in some far away place, or participating in a bike marathon somewhere, Earnie is about the outdoors and outdoor sports.
For full disclosure, his 2nd degree black belt in the Korean martial art of Hapkido didn’t cause me to shy away from the tough questions!
For those of you not familiar with Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, these are the volunteers who spend their free time maintaining the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Broad Run Linear Trail, Silver Lake Park, and many other spots you might have enjoyed over the years. You probably have benefitted from their efforts more than once without knowing it. They accept donations, by the way.
Earnie is interested in using trails to connect the geographic dots within Prince William County to give its residents and visitors one more easily accessible, family friendly, free way to get outside, play and enjoy our lovely community. He sees a future where folks may hike or bike from one end of Prince William to the other stopping at many points in between, and intersects with other regional and national trails along the way.
Earnie also connected the economic dots, or the value that supporting trails brings to our community. He would like to add “Trail Town” to the Town of Occoquan’s many list of attractions. That would benefit both the Occoquan and Prince William County.
Trail towns become destinations for those seeking trail heads, places to start a hike; trail stops, or places to stay overnight, re-provision, refuel and take a break; and tourist destinations, or places with attractions worth hanging around for a while. Many folks just like the ambiance. Occoquan is a natural trail town as it is a trail junction for the U.S.1 bike route, the East Coast Greenway, the Occoquan Water Trail, and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
Porta’s Trail Town vision scales
Discover Prince William & Manassas Convention and Visitors Bureau could easily add trails and Occoquan as a trail town to its already diverse portfolio of attractions. Prince William County’s rich Civil War heritage and military museums have already made it an international tourist attraction. Leveraging the work of the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, and Occoquan’s proximity to the intersection or access to a number of trails certainly increases the value of our many tourist attractions.
One might surmise that adding trails would connect some of those attractions and make them accessible to a new market: hikers and bikers!
Restaurants, hotels, gas stations, tourist attractions, and businesses of all flavors would benefit. I’m guessing REI, Orvis, Dicks’ Sporting Goods, or the many other outdoor oriented businesses would be delighted to see Prince William County become a recognized stop on the many trails that intersect its domain. There us also potential for new businesses to be created to replace those hiking boots and socks, repair those bicycles, or perhaps offer a replacement pack or water bottle.
There’s gold in those trails!
This idea of focusing on trails and turning the Town of Occoquan into a trail town is Strategic to Prince William County. It fully supports Prince William County’s 2013-2016 Strategic Plan Strategic Vision, Prince William County is a community of choice with a strong, diverse economic base, where individuals and families choose to live and work and businesses choose to locate. I can imagine businesses looking for a place to locate would favorably consider any Community that supports trails, and families would certainly consider them a desirable feature when house shopping.
It contributes to Prince William County’s Economic Development Goal, The County will provide a robust, diverse economy with more quality jobs and an expanded commercial tax base. We’re talking increasing tourist revenue and the jobs that revenue creates, and opportunities for businesses small and large to be created and/or attracted to our Community.
For the purists looking for a specific link to the Strategic Plan, it contributes to Prince William County’s Transportation Goal, The County will provide a multi-modal transportation network that supports County and regional connectivity, specifically Transportation Outcome 4, By 2016, 15 cumulative miles of pedestrian trails and sidewalks will be constructed and added to the County’s Comprehensive Plan roads.
Prince William County Government is supportive of the trails vision. The Parks Department hosts the Trails and Blueways Council. Its mission is to further Prince William County’s vision of a network of trails and blueways connecting communities, providing recreational, non?motorized transportation, and cultural opportunities. One of their guiding documents is the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Parks, Open Space and Trails Section, trails Plan. Of course, trails cost money. You will find funding for trails in the FY2014 Prince William County budget Parks and Recreation Section and the Capital Improvement Program. Prince William County is investing in its trails.
I believe Porta’s vision for a Trail Town is a sound one
He does understand that lots of folks think trails are great until one is proposed in their neighborhood. Fully respectful of residents concerns and property rights, Earnie plans to share information with the public, particularly with communities that have concerns, about the economic, environmental, and health and safety benefits of trails.
If you want to sample what he is talking about, you might want to sign up for the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition’s inaugural Tour of the Towns — Tour of Prince William Century Ride! You’ll get a chance to chat with Earnie and other trail enthusiasts while enjoying the trails that are the subject of this column
You will find Occoquan Regional Park right across from the Town of Occoquan. It intersects with the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
The East Coast Greenway is (IMHO) an urban version of the Appalachian Trail. It will be built entirely on public right-of-way, incorporating waterfront esplanades, park paths, abandoned railroad corridors, canal towpaths, and pathways along highway corridors.
The National Park Service’s Potomac Heritage Trail is an excellent hike. It spans Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
IF you are looking for more trails in Prince William County, start with the Prince William County Trails and Streams Coalition Trails and Blueways Directory.
As we sat there over iced tea, I realized Earnie understood the magic of trails, and the economic benefit to communities that support them. If the idea of reducing your property taxes by improving our tax base and looking for new ways to draw revenue to Prince William County that don’t involve the Federal Government, you might think about supporting trails and Earnie Porta’s trail town idea.
I think I’ll go take a hike!
For full disclosure, I am a member of Prince William Trails and Streams, and an advocate of trails both within Prince William County, and across the nation. I am also a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and a frequent hiker on Shenandoah Mountain trails. I was also a member of the 2012 Prince William County Strategic Planning Team, and helped created the current Strategic Plan, which fully supports trails in Prince William County
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