The Rotary Club of Akron had the privilege of hearing about TASCforce, LLC at our Tuesday, April 13, 2021 Club meeting. Our speaker was Bill Sepe, Co-Director of TASCforce, a non-profit advocacy group formed in 2019. Their focus is the promotion of multi-purpose recreational trails in and around Summit County as well as creating & preserving green spaces. The presentation included the proposed Veterans Trail.
What are TASCforce’s Beliefs? - Multipurpose trails are expensive, but they are an investment that lives on in perpetuity.
- Green space and equitable access to it is imperative sustaining healthy lifestyles.
- Greenways have an economic benefit to the communities they exist in by:
- Boosting property values
- Adding recreational opportunities
- Creating opportunities for alternative ways to commute to work
- Improving wellness
- Increasing tourism
- Providing access to businesses and retail stores
Background on the Proposed Veterans Trail
- An abandoned railroad right of way runs through Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Silver Lake, Stow, and Hudson – about 12.5 miles long.
- It has not been used since 1996 and will require tremendous investment in order to support rail traffic again
- It has long been recognized as an ideal trail opportunity and has been studied for more than 16 years.
- The owner, Metro RTA, is indicating a willingness to allow it to be used for a trail – as they did with the Freedom Trail.
- Summit Metro Parks has expressed an interest in partnering with Metro RTA to build and manage the trail.
Why Would this Track Make an Ideal Trail?
- It connects the communities of Hudson, Stow, Silver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls and Akron and provides a North-to-South trail right up the densely populated middle of the county.
- It connects with 7 other trails and provides an ideal opportunity for both commuter and recreational use.
- The right-of-way goes along and crosses over the Cuyahoga River. In Silver Lake, it passes the golf course at Silver Lake Country Club. Stow has numerous secluded sections, In Hudson, it passes by a private lake, Ellsworth Meadows Golf Course, O’Brien Cemetery, and Cascade & Veterans Way parks.
- The trail would start at Akron’s Northside Train Station and end downtown Hudson, behind the Acme Plaza.
Connectivity to Other Trails:
It would connect to the following trails:
- Boston Heights Trail
- Highbridge Trail
- Connection to Towpath Trail
- Existing Summit Metro Park Bike & Hike Trail
- Freedom Trail
- Akron’s Rubber City Heritage Trail
- Hudson’s proposed extension of Veterans Trail
How Can Rotarians Help Support This Project?
Write letters to Metro RTA asking them to:
- Dismiss the rail proposal and embrace the multipurpose trail proposal instead
- Make an application with the Federal Transit Administration to permit the right-of-way to be repurposed as a multipurpose trail.
- Request the support that Senator Rob Portman’s office has offered to facilitate the F.T.A. application.
- Once the application is approved, sign leases with Summit Metro Parks and/or the local communities along the right-of-way to allow the trail to be built.
For additional information about the trail project go online to www.taskforce.org and sign the online petition and receive updates on the progress that is occurring as well as other worthwhile projects in the area.
