As we hurry long the road to better health, the new year allows for a little looking back to see where we’ve been and where we are with our trail expansion.

First of all, “hurry” is not the best verb here. This stuff doesn’t move fast, as we require permission from rail companies, utility companies, commercial and residential property owners, neighborhoods and the state Department of Transportation. Sometimes it feels like we’re riding against the wind.

Identifying and applying for funding takes time, whether the money is public or private, and that doesn’t even account for getting dinged.  Grant cycles move at their pace, and our priorities are not always others’ priorities. Designing trails requires permitting and design reviews, crossing streets requires encroachment permits, and maintenance and safety concerns must be addressed along the way.

So from this 10,000 foot level, we are currently working on a brand and logo which will help center our major investment requests as well as our lower level fundraising campaigns. The logo will give consistency to the system, with on-trail signage and on- and off-line mapping systems to help users navigate confidently. We hope to unveil  the logo and announce a naming sponsor this spring.

Several trail segments are in line, and we are now completing funding requests from the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Duke Energy Corporation. One segment is shovel-ready, and a couple others require the formalizing of property owner agreements. One is in the early stages of design with approvals to come. Some funding is in place for some segments, other require full funding.

We continue to work towards these lofty goals: a connected, integrated 30 mile system of multi-use paths. Of course there is a certain amount of hope involved: we hope we get grants we apply for, we hope for good weather, we hope for the winds to blow our way.