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SRRA County eda briefing 2010
- 1. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL RECREATION AUTHORITY Multi-Use Trails for Adventure Tourism and Economic Development (Hiking, Biking, Equestrian, Motorized, Birding, Fishing, Geo-caching, Blue-ways)
- 2. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL RECREATION AUTHORITY Jack McClanahan Mark A. Caruso SRRA Chairman SRRA Vice Chairman Multi-Use Trails for Adventure Tourism and Economic Development (Hiking, Biking, Equestrian, Motorized, Birding, Fishing, Geo-caching, Blue-ways)
- 3. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL RECREATION AUTHORITY Purpose Describe the “Way Ahead” for SPEARHEAD TRAILS
- 4. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL RECREATION AUTHORITY Short History Jack McClanahan SRRA Chairman
- 5. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL RECREATION AUTHORITY SRRA TODAY Mark A. Caruso SRRA Vice Chairman
- 6. Southwest Regional Recreation Authority We are created by statute to establish, operate, and maintain public, multiple use, recreational trails and related facilities that are part of the Southwest Regional Recreation Area, also known as the Spearhead Trails. We are governed by a board of directors that includes appointed representatives of the following jurisdictions in Southwest Virginia: City of Norton Russell County Buchanan County Scott County Dickenson County Tazewell County Lee County Wise County
- 7. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! The Concept: 1. Facilitate recreational trails development that will Create economic opportunities for local businesses.
- 8. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! The Concept: 1. Facilitate recreational trails development that will Create economic opportunities for local businesses. 2. We will seek cooperative easements on tracts of private land to create public use trails.
- 9. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! The Concept: 1. Facilitate recreational trails development that will Create economic opportunities for local businesses. 2. We will seek cooperative easements on tracts of private land to create public use trails. 3. We will work with public land holders to assist in the development of trails on public lands that have economic potential for local communities.
- 10. Wise Co. Russell Co. Tazewell Co. Scott Co. Lee Co. Dickenson Co. City of Norton Buchanan Co. Appointed SRRA Non-Voting Board Board Members Spearhead Trails Executive Director TRAILBLAZERS Steering Committee Equestrian Biking Motorized Hiking Fishing Waterway
- 11. Proposed manning / funding by FY Southwest Regional SRRA Recreation Authority Board of Directors Yellow = In place now Green = FYE 2011 Spearhead Trails Blue = FYE 2012 Red = FYE 2013 Organizational Chart Orange = FYE 2014 Executive Director Draft :1 Feb 2010 Office & Deputy Executive Director / Director Director of Human Resources Director of Field of Marketing Manager Operations & Enforcement Sales and Permits Accounts Payable Trail Marketing Retail Center & Payroll Chief Ranger Development Specialists Manager Manager Coordinator Customer Service Office Full-Time Equipment Coordinator Assistants Rangers Operator Director of Conservation Trailhead Customer and Recreation Service Reps Part Time Part-Time Field Technicians Clerical & Office Rangers OBJECTIVE PLAN B Funding Part-Time 100-200 miles of trails Interns Field Technicians $1.5 Mil in Funding
- 12. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! We have everything that’s needed Beautiful mountains – great existing and potential trails Customers desperate for great trails Mined/forested land that leaves behind hundreds of miles of trails Necessary land ownership patterns and topography Adjacent to two other states working same concept Complementary Tourist Attractions (Crooked Road, Country Music Highway, etc.) We CAN develop the premier recreational trail system in the Eastern United States. AND reap the resulting economic rewards
- 13. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! Location! Location! Location! Millions of Developed road potential system and customers infrastructure to within accommodate driving adventure distance tourists
- 14. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! •Legislation in Place •Comprehensive Plan Developed •Authority Board In Place and Working •Public Awareness Growing •Local Government Support Strong •Operational Planning Ongoing •Support Group (Trailblazers) •Trail Mapping ready to begin •Study Completed (Glowing Report)
- 15. SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! SWVA is poised for success: • Gateway to trails •(North, South, East and West) •Crossroads (TN, VA, KY, WV) •(58 /23/19/460 give easy access) • Potential trailheads in almost every community • Great location for an ATV Safety Center • Established non-motorized trail system and outdoor recreation facilities • Land patterns that create a unique environment for Off Road Vehicles
- 16. Near Perfect Existing Land Owner / Topographic Patterns SRRA Today Ready to Take the Next Step!!! We have hundreds of miles of coal, gas, and timber roads; yet we do not have one mile of trails for public motorized recreation
- 18. already exists www.TrailsHeaven.com Hatfield-McCoy Trails Southern West Virginia
- 19. Hatfield-McCoy Trails opened in late 2000 30,000 Permits Over 100000 user days
- 20. They will come from: Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, etc…
- 21. Feasibility Study & Comprehensive Plan In April 2009, through grants from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Revitalization Commission and the Motorcycle Industry Council/Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority (SRRA) hired "We Make Things Happen" (WMTH) Corporation to complete a feasibility study and develop a comprehensive plan for the Spearhead Trails initiative. Summit Engineering developed maps and provided assistance.
- 22. Southwest Virginia is blessed with many existing and potential trail opportunities! •
- 23. Economic Impact: Virginia Creeper • Brings $2.5 million to Virginia • $1.5 million into the counties of Washington and Grayson counties • Created 27 new jobs!
- 24. Economic Impact: Horseback Riding Knott County KY Annual Trail Ride 10,000 people and 7,000 riders this year! Economic Impact on the Region: 0ver $2.3 million This could be happening in SW Virginia
- 25. This could be happening in SW Virginia
- 26. Economic Impact: Canoeing & Boating The Meramec River in Missouri attracts over 8,000 people on a given weekend This could be happening along the Clinch River in Scott, Russell and Wise counties and along the Powell River in the southern portion of Lee County.
- 27. Economic Impact: Birding & Wildlife Virginia has the best and most complete Wildlife & Birding Trail System! A small town in Texas marketed bird watching which resulted in 160 new jobs and a 28% increase in sales tax! SW Virginia could include wildlife viewing as part of all their trails and set themselves apart from others.
- 28. Economic Impact: Off-Road Vehicles Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trail System is bringing $$’s and creating jobs in West Virginia! Southwest Regional Recreation Authority (SRRA) could potentially generate over $2 million in permit fees alone enabling the Authority to one day be self-sufficient.
- 29. Black Mountain Trails in East Kentucky The Evarts Trail Head has seen 5 ATV shops open up, 14 new log cabins built, 2 new RV/camps, 31 rental homes and apartments, 3 new restaurants, 2 new car washes, 2 new restaurants, and 61.5 new jobs created.
- 30. Southwest Virginia has tremendous potential to become “A Trail Destination” for OHV riders horseback riders, bikers, hikers, canoeists, n aturalists and others.
- 31. Under the guidance of SRRA: The Spearhead Trail System could bring an additional $30 million to local economies at a time when economic growth is desperately needed.
- 32. Under the guidance of SRRA: The Spearhead Trail System has the potential to bring 200,000 visitors to the region and to create 300 to 500 new jobs!
- 33. “The Way Ahead” Acquire Operational and Capital Start up Funds Conduct entrepreneur workshops for Adventure Tourism : ( 9 April Norton Holiday Inn ) Adventure Tourism Entrepreneur Workshop April 09, 2010 - 08:30 AM to 04:00 PM http://www.vastartup.org Conduct Hands On Trail Building workshops (1-2 May) Establish Spearhead Trails Executive Director Position (1 July) Develop Spearhead Trails Operational Policies and Business Plan Develop an April – December Trails Events Calendar
- 34. “The Way Ahead” Establish Landowner Agreements (Cooperative Easements) 100-200 miles of existing coal, gas or logging trails Hire Key Spearhead Trails Staff (1 Aug) Mapping Potential Trail Systems Develop and Implement a Marketing Plan Compete legislative initiatives
- 35. Legislation and Regulations Appropriations in GA Civil Penalties Permits OHV on the Roads Rules and Regulations for the Trails and the Road
- 38. Studies Indicate That An Individual Represents About $500 Per Trip To Our Community
- 39. This Group Of Five Represents $2,500 Per Trip To Our Community 30,000 Riders Annually Represents $15,000,000 To Our Region
- 40. Add 10,000 more equestrians, bikers, hikers, birding, geo- cashing, and blueway users Resulting in an additional $5 million Annually to our communities
- 41. Spearhead Trails in Southwest Virginia WE STRONGLY BELIEVE: If We Build It… They Will Come!
- 42. Southwest Regional Recreation Authority Trails Conference Tina Rowe, Town Manager Pennington Gap
- 43. Stone Mountain Trail System Trail Destination
- 44. CDAC Conceptual Master Plan
- 45. Leeman Field
- 46. Trail Head Conceptual Design
- 47. Multi-Use Trail System OHV’s Equestrian Hikers Mountain Bikers
- 48. Economic Development Adventure Tourism Outfitters and Rentals Local Entrepreneurship Attract New Restaurants Additional Lodging Specialty Shops Community Based Facilities & Services
- 49. Former Plumbers Shop ATV Center
- 50. ATV Outfitters & Rentals Cabin Rentals Bike Shop
- 51. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL RECREATION AUTHORITY Ready for the next Step! Multi-Use Trails for Adventure Tourism and Economic Development (Hiking, Biking, Equestrian, Motorized, Birding, Fishing, Geo-caching, Blueways)
- 52. How do we make the Spearhead Trails a reality here?
- 53. “The Way Ahead” Challenges
- 54. QUESTIONS
Editor's Notes
- Welcome to all of our guests, members of the press, Legislative representatives ( Sen Puckett and Deligate Kilgore), SRRA Board Members and guest speakers. I want to thank all of you who have traveled from out of our region to be here today. We have so many distinguished people in the room that I could take the entire morning welcoming you individually, but I suspect that you would rather move on and get right to the purpose of our conference. I will introduce our board of directors so that when we break for lunch you will recognize them and be able to direct you questions to the appropriate person.Our Voting Members are appointed by the municipal bodies that make up the Southwest Regional Recreation Area:Jack McClanahan – is appointed from Wise County and is our elected chairmanJon Bowerbank – appointed from Russell CountyEugene McCellen – appointed from Scott CountyRussell Lockheart – appointed from Buchanan CountyMark Vanover – appointed from Dickenson CountyMargie Bandy – appointed from Tazewell CountyLee County is vacant at the momentI represent the City of Norton and am the elected Vice Chair of the AuthorityThe Authroity Board subsequently appointed some very important non-voting members.Tina Rowe – TresTammy Vanover Dotson – SecCraig Kaderavek - Land Owner RepresentativeMichael Wampler – Spearhead Trailblazers ChairmanAgain, on behalf of the SRR Authority I welcome all of you to what will be the first glimpse at what promises to be a great engine for economic development and job creation, fueled by adventure tourism dollars and sustained by economic growth throughout all of our communities.
- The Purpose of this event today is to debut the new SRRA Feasibility Study and Comprehensive Plan and to let you and the public know that SRRA is ready to take the next step towards implementing the SPEARHEAD TRAILS Concept into SWVA. We will tell you how we got started, tell you where we are today, and what we think is the way ahead for Adventure Tourism Economic Development In SWVA.
- Some admin notes:Here is our agenda for the morning. Please feel free to partake in our snacks and drinks as the briefings progress. We will take a break at about 1005 for you to refill your plates or drinks.We are on a tight schedule but we have so many important speakers to hear from this morning. Each one has a piece of the puzzle that you need to hear. So please take notes, jot down your questions and we will take them after the briefings, during the lunch hour.
- Without further delay, I will bring up Jack McClanahan our Authority Chair, to give you an overview of where this initiative got its start.
- Now lets take a look at where we are today.
- Our authority was created to manage the Southwest Regional Recreation Area. Our state legislators had the foresight to approve legislation that would give the Authority all the legal and administrative tools necessary to establish a system of trails, trailheads, picnic areas, camping facilities, and other facilities in order to drive economic development.
- Our Board approved the Branding name of SPEARHEAD TRAILS. A creation of Rec- Resources headed up by John English who is here with us today. Our authority area of operations is within the 8 municipalities listed here.
- Our concept of operation is fairly simple.We will facilitate the development of adventure tourism destinations to spur economic development opportunities.
- We will seek cooperative easement agreements with private land owners throughout the ARRA. We look forward to the opportunity to open discussions with the large land owners.
- We will also work with public land managers to facilitate trails development and repair to help bring non motorized adventure tourist into the area
- This graphic shows you our current organization. We have a volunteer board of directors appointed from the 8 municipalities, We have non-voting members of the board that were appointed by the board to bring additional expertise to the board. The Spearhead Trailblazers are our friends of group. This group of trails enthusiasts provide assistance to the authority but are not directly part of the authority as noted by the dotted line. We will hear more about the Trailblazers from Michael Wampler later in the presentationThe Orange box is the Executive Director Position that still needs to be filled and the Arrow head represents the Spearhead trails organization that needs to be filled and that will develop, manage, market, and maintain the Southwest Regional Recreation Area trails system.
- Proposed manning / funding by FYYellow = In place nowGreen = FY 2010Blue = FY 2011Orange = FY 2011Aqua = FY 2012
- We truly have everything we need to develop the recreation area that the legislature envisioned for us. We have the mountain beauty, the landownership and topographic patternsWhat we have is a formula for economic success. Our challenge is bringing all the parts together.When we do, we can have a world class multi-use trail system and reap the economic rewards.
- We are positioned perfectly for successWe have millions of potential customers within a days driveWe have the roads and infrastructure in place to get us started in order
- Here is where we are.We are ready to take the next stepWe have legislation in placeOur study and comprehensive plan is in place and we are moving forward with our operational planning.
- We are poised for success.We are at the crossroads of four states and have local leaders and governments ready to open trailheads and develop trails in their jurisdiction. Land owner patterns and topography give us a unique environment that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in Virginia and in few locations around the counrty.
- Again, every community around the country have basic trails…what makes us different and highly desirable are the unique land ownership patterns. That’s the heart of this effort. Our mountains and the land owners who control access to them hold the key to economic renewal in SWVA
- This graph shows you that we not only have verbal support from local governments but enjoy support from others interested in bringing economic development to SWVA.
- We are part of a three state initiative. An initiative that depends on the existing and interconnecting trails created by our coal, forest and gas companies as well as our state and federal agencies. The most developed of the three systems is the Hatfield McCoy system in West Virginia.
- TrailsHeaven is up and running and is the successful model that Spearhead Trails is using to ensure the same level of success. We will hear more about the Hatfield McCoy system from their Executive Director, Jeffrey Lusk later in the presentation.
- These are some organizations that have provided support for the Authority. Without these folks, we would not be here today, ready to take the next step towards economic development. I will mention two very special organizations here: The TIC and MIC. Without their support the study and plan could not have been completed. Thank you!
- Thank you Debby, clearly we are at a very important cross road. Take the low road that represents the status quo and much of our region will not recover from the current economic downturn. Take the high road of using our mountains once again to provide the economic answers to our depressed economies. Taking the high road or should I say high trial, is without question the way ahead for all of us. Microsoft and GM will not likely relocate to our area, coal, the mainstay of our economies and lively hood will one day be exahusted, this group assembled here today has a historic opportunity…Here is where we need to be focused…here is a broad plan of action that can bring business and people back to our towns and communities…
- Read VCEDA, WEBB and Boucher Letters
- Jerry is a former mine supervisor both here and in West Virginia. He is currently a supervisor in oil production. He will talk to us about land owner relations
- As we end the briefings and move through the lunch line. I want the conversation to be focused on how we are going to make this happen. First in each of our individual communities and then under the umbrella of SRRA. Ask yourself, how can I support this effort, what can I do individually or collectivelly to advance this economic development opprotunity. We represent the collective leadership of Far SWVA. If we do not accept the risk, seize the opportunities, put our shoulder to the stone, secure the funding, provide the land, build the organization and develop the businesses, who will…who will the people of SWVA look to for jobs and prosperity. It is our time folks, it is our time. Weather you are in Government, business, the press, or what ever, I am asking you to embrace the concept of SPEARHEAD TRAILS and then do all you can to get us land, funding, organization and training to make this work. The people of SWVA are counting on us, unless you have a better solution, the failure of this project is not an option…not one we can live in SWVA with. We will make this happen, and you will be able to tell your grandchildren that you were there at the beginning, a poineer in the development of SPEARHEAD TRAILS and the economic revitalization of SWVA.I trust that you will stay and break bread with us and discuss your ideas and thoughts on what transpired here today. I also trust that you will go from here like paul revere and spread the word that we are coming to a town near them.Enjoy your meal. The Board will be available for questions during the lunch hour. If you will allow me, I will give a short blessing for the food and fellowshipThank you for coming and making this a successful confernece. Safe travels.
- We must have operational and capital dollars to get an executive director and staff on board so they can begin working with our land owners to secure cooperative agreements for land.
- Tony is member of the Southern Appalachian Greenways Alliance and is here to talk briefly about the health implications.