Tammy Hensley-Hazlett noted that Chapmanville already has many of the amenities that a trail head would need and cited the boost the trails have had in other municipalities. She feels Chapmanville could also benefit from an economic shot in the arm from having it's own trail connector.
"I did a count of the aligned businesses already here and came up with five gas stations, two hotels, twelve restaurants and two grocery stores located within the city limits. I think there are two new campgrounds going in and a new clinic with Marshall University/WVSOM/Logan Regional The only things we lack are cabins and bed/breakfast inns," she said.
Hensley-Hazlett is quick to point out she is not the first person to wonder "why not?"
"Over the past three or four years people have come to me and said 'we should do this' and I have waited for them to bring it up and nothing happened," she said.
"I have kids and I love this town.... I want to see our town move forward. So many people here have four wheelers too. I know they have cracked down on kids riding skate boards and scooters. But kids need things to do or they will move away. It was like that when I was a girl and I left and move to Charleston. "
Hensley-Hazlett said the town would be in a good position if landowners could be found who would sign an agreement with the HMRRA and a connector could be built.
"I did a walk-about through town and talked to local business owners," she said. "They all loved the idea about the Hatfield-McCoy Trail being in town."
Hensley-Hazlett said she will try to get the topic on a Chapmanville Town Council agenda soon to see what the council members think of the idea.
"I was inspired by what I heard at the meeting," she said following the board meeting. "I am really excited about this and I want positive things to happen for our town. Right between route 10 and 119 is an ideal position for anything. 119 will open up even more."
"Last year, I obtained a permit and rode at Bear Wallow (Logan). What a beautiful trail that was! I have ridden four wheelers since the 80s and wanted to ride in a town where I could get something to eat – just for the fun of it....I had never been able to ride in a town until then. To me, it was just “cool” to ride in town. "
Hensley-Hazlett said she attended the July 17 Hatfield-McCoy board meeting out of curiosoity to see what was planned for the systems.
"When I attended the meeting and saw all the wonderful plans that have been developed for the trails, I was truly inspired," she said. "The Board of Directors has worked so hard to make sure that the trails are something great for the State of West Virginia. They talked about the new trails going in Lincoln County (Harts) and Wayne County (East Lynn). I can truly see how visionary the new plans are, not only for those two counties, but for all of Southern West Virginia. ... I felt welcome at the meeting and was happy to see positive things going on. I hope to see the trail head in Lincoln County become successful, and I’m looking forward to riding on it!"
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