Region 4 Planning and Development Council in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (Monongahela National Forest), Pocahontas County CVB, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Poca. Trails, Mon Forest Towns Partnership and the Town of Marlinton has been awarded $1,500,000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to construct twenty-seven (27) miles of mountain biking trail to complete the Monday Lick Mountain Biking Trail System. This trail system supports the Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center, West Virginia’s first and only International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Ride Center, in reaching the highly coveted designation as a gold-level IMBA Ride Center. The economic impact of this designation is anticipated to impact communities in Nicholas, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Webster Counties. This award is part of a recently announced nearly $47 million package supporting 52 projects in 181 coal-impacted counties through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, which directs federal resources to economic diversification projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries. This is the largest single POWER awards package to date since the initiative launched in 2015. Additional support for this project is provided by the Benedum Foundation, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Pocahontas County CVB, Monongahela National Forest and the West Virginia Water Development Authority.
“Our coal-impacted communities are a vital part of Appalachia’s 13 states and 423 counties—when our coal communities thrive, our entire region is uplifted,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “This latest round of POWER grant funding will not only help struggling coal communities to once again compete in a global marketplace but also expand support for the creation of new jobs …”.
In 2019 the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) recognized the Snowshoe Highlands Area Recreational Collaborative’s (SHARC) Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center with an award of a bronze-level designation, followed by a promotion to the silver level in 2020. In the years since, SHARC and its partners across the region have united behind a singular goal: to become the first gold-level Ride Center in the eastern U.S. by the end of 2026.
Ride Center designations are hard to come by. There are currently 40 Ride Centers across the world, including only six at the gold level. By joining their ranks, Snowshoe Highlands would be recognized as one of the top seven mountain bike destinations in the world, placing Pocahontas County and the Monongahela National Forest on the international stage for outdoor recreation.
Committed to this goal, SHARC has worked in concert with IMBA to conduct a gap analysis to identify needs and implement a strategic plan that will lead to gold-level Ride Center certification. In early 2022, IMBA Trail Solutions released an updated assessment report for the Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center. This report establishes the following final priority trail enhancements SHARC must complete to secure gold for the Ride Center:
- Construct the Monday Lick Trail System in Marlinton.
- Maintain and enhance the Tea Creek Trail System.
- Complete the trail connection between Mower Tract and Snowshoe
To satisfy the IMBA Gold status requirements the Monday Lick Initiative was developed. The Monday Lick Trail Project (1) consists of the construction of a 27-mile trail system in the Monongahela National Forest near the Town of Marlinton in Pocahontas County. In September 2022, on behalf of the SHARC group, Region 4 Planning and Development Council was awarded a $1,500,000.00 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce Economic Revitalization (POWER) grant for the construction of the trail along with a $160,000.00 Benedum Foundation grant to support administration and trail positions to complete the Tea Creek Trail System (2) and the connector between the Mower Tract and Snowshoe (3).
Additionally, the Snowshoe Resort has pledged a $2,000,000.00 cash match for continued maintenance and capital improvements to the overall trail system over the next 5-years. The U.S. Forest Service has committed $1,004,340.00 towards National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) compliance, procurement, project management, construction oversight and to support the additional trailing building and maintenance efforts. The West Virginia Water Development Authority also provided $150,000 from its Economic Enhancement Program (EEG). Lastly, the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has committed $6,000.00 in in-kind match for staff time dedicated to the project for a total project cost of $4,820,340.00.
According to economists at WVU Extension, who modeled the economic impacts of this project’s activities using IMPLAN, visitor spending at the gold-level Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center will likely exceed $20.5 million annually by 2028. The total impact of these visitors is estimated to be $24.2 million in annual economic activity within Pocahontas County. This spending would support 304 jobs in the county and generate $7.8 million in employee compensation. As a result, the 304 jobs created through this project will make up for more than half of the 588 direct coal-industry jobs lost in our four-county area since 2011 (West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety, and Training, 2021). Thirty-four of the 304 jobs created will be in Marlinton and related to the Monday Lick Trail System. A 2022 study by Downstream Strategies estimates future trail users could more than double the current demand for lodging and dining in Marlinton and that, once the Monday Lick trails are built, Marlinton could support 15 new establishments, including a brewery, a bakery, a boutique hotel, campgrounds, and additional bike shuttle services. Marlinton has already seen new businesses open since 2021 in anticipation of the Monday Lick trails. These include a second full-service bike shop, a shuttle service for bikes and boats, an art gallery, Marlinton’s first food truck, an ice cream salon, and others. As a result, businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the region are now waiting for the Monday Lick Trail System to be built in order to reap the economic benefits.
The economic case for mountain biking has gained traction over the last decade as worldwide participation in the sport has taken off. Based on recent survey data, economists (and SHARC partners) at WVUExtension estimate that non-local mountain bikers in West Virginia spend $155 per person perday (2021 dollars) (Eades and Arbogast, 2019). Visitation data from Snowshoe Bike Park shows that nearly 33,000 riders spend over $3.3 million annually in lodging and over $1.8 million annually in food and beverage in Pocahontas County. Once the Ride Center reaches the gold level, WVU Extension economists predict that overall visitation will more than double by 2028, bringing unprecedented benefits and job creation to the project area. This will accomplish Pocahontas County’s greater goal of growing a year-round recreation economy equaling the impact from snow sports, allowing employers to shift from seasonal employment opportunities to full-time positions that offer benefits.
This ARC POWER project is a shining example of how multiple partnerships and sharing of resources results in tremendous success. The consortium of partners lead by SHARC and the U.S. Forest Service teamed with the essential guidance and fiscal management provided by the Local Development District (LDD) Region 4 Planning and Development was a formidable economic development force.
<!–
