Clay County's Business Development Authority (BDA) held their monthly get together on Monday March 14th in their Two Run Office, AKA: Old State Road Garage building. With a quorum in place and three in the peanut gallery, the meeting got underway at 6:30 pm sharp.  Here's a mish mash of info from that gathering.
  The BDA has right at $1,135.63 in their general checking account after spending $674.23 last month.
   According to the Gospel of BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard, the W Va DNR has hired a full time ERTS Park Superintendent. The official announcement will be made later this month. Because the only guy we know that holds a college degree in parks and recreation, our best guess for Superintendent is Heath Cliver. Just a guess readers.
  Need a job? W Va DNR is looking to hire a Park Ranger as well.
  Back on Mr Cliver. The guy is a local boy, attended Clay High, and has held at least one teaching position in Clayberry. One more note. We think the guy has a brain too!
  If he's more than our best guess, we could do a lot worse than Heath Cliver.
   DNR will rent office space in the BDA building until their new Pisgah based office / maintenance center is built. BDA is asking $400 a  month for the office space.
  Ernie Howe is a new member of the BDA. You can see him in the below picture, on the left wearing a checkered shirt.
   Howe is working on a fund raiser effort for the BDA. His notion is start classes on country and western dancing on a weekly basis. The BDA was cool to his idea but think about it. Everyone would like to dance, learn how to dance, and everyone needs a social outlet. His announcement seeking interest for the fun time, is now posted over on the ADVISORY page of this newspaper. 
  As for what is included in the new State Park, DeBoard advanced: The only part of ERTS actually purchased is the 19 miles from Dundon up to Widen, the old BC&G RR spur line. Those 19 miles are actually owned by the W Va Rail Authority. As for the 32 completed miles of the hiking biking horseback riding trail along the Elk River, that's still owned by Bright Industries AKA: Bill Bright.
   There's a big dispute in that trail from Elkhurst South to Clendenin. A group of property owners are disputing who owns the old rights of way. The property owners want a state maintained road instead of the hiking only trail.
   See the problem? Landowners have used that RR rights of way for decades for access to their river side cabins, homes, and raw land. If the State takes the strip , their property values go all to H.
  This group of little ole ladies have done their home work and understand something: the Elk River Railroad, Bill Bright Industries, or whatever you call it, they don't really own that strip of dirt nor have they lived up to conditions of the sale purchase agreement decades ago.
   A couple members of that community activist group were on hand for this meeting. DeBoard told em in part: he agrees with their position on ownership and use of the rights of way; that dirt needs to be taken by the State and maintained year around for a multi access road; the Bill Bright group wants to work with the landowners but, that strip will never be "rail banked".
  If Mitch DeBoard is correct and if the homework done by the land owner group is also correct, the ERTS trail will go thru the disputed area down to Clendenin but that one section will allow ATVs and other vehicles to use it.
  Changing gears... For that spur line going up to Widen... that's the 19 miles that is already in the State Park system, the rebuilding project (FEMA funded) is continuing. Most of the new cross ties are in place up to Sand Fork; another 3 1/2 miles needs completed to get to Widen;  and, the stretch from the Cresmont bridge South to Sand Fork needed started.
   Although millions have been budgeted and funded for the project, another $3.5 million is needed to complete the whole park. DeBoard feels the Governor is on board with the funding.
  There's some kind of problem with the project engineer's work and bridge construction. For instance, the engineer has not got all the bridge permits approved as of this meeting date. With the State taking over the spur line, DeBoard feels State Road engineers can now step in and help out with engineering requirements like signing off on projects, bridge projects.
  So, when will the BC&G RR spur line be complete? Mitch says, that part will be complete in June or July and the pedal car tourist attraction will be on the rails later this Summer.
  Remember when the BC&G ran a rail bus service up and down the rails? Those two old rail buses are still around with one rebuilt and in a PA museum.  What's the chances of getting one of those rail buses back for the BC&G tourist ride? According to Chair DeBoard, ain't going to happen.
  And one more announcement. Mitch DeBoard told his volunteer BDA, as soon as the FEMA project is complete, he's resigning his BDA position.
  The BDA was formed over 25 years ago. That group of volunteers started off with two projects. One was growing river access points along Route 4 and growing a steam locomotive train ride. Back then that BDA built five access points and put them into use. As for the steam train, the W Va Rail Authority advised the point person (Ann Anderson), steam boilers are dangerous, insurance on such is thru the roof, and forget your idea of a steam ride.
   Today with the new leadership for the last 8 years or so, the BDA has been in the lead for a tourism draw on the old BC&G RR. IF all goes as planned, later this Summer, we'll see the growth and operation of a real tourism hub, the BC&G RR. With a little more effort, someday, we may even see one of the old rail buses or an old steam engine return o the historic line.
AW