RICHWOOD, W.Va. — Richwood Mayor Robert Johnson said it’s no secret that the town he serves and the county it’s in are facing rough economic times, but he hopes the potential installation of an ATV trail through parts of several counties in central West Virginia could begin the recovery process.
“Tourism is going to have to become a significant part of the economy,” Johnson said. “We’ve basically lost a thousand residents in almost 20 years. What that does to the economic pie is pretty easy to understand.”
One of the main draws of building an ATV trail is tourism, and with an increase in tourism comes an increase in demand for restaurants and lodging. Johnson said local governments will need to be business-friendly to help spur the growth needed to support the ATV trail.
“Sometimes the rider numbers exceed the ability for local entrepreneurs to create those amenities,” Johnson said. “But we’ll use tax incentives–whatever is reasonably necessary.”
The trail could be installed just south west of Richwood as it heads through Webster County. Johnson said the combination of the ATV trail and the Monongahela National Forest gives the town a wide range of tourist attractions to try to capitalize on.
“It would be a huge advantage to have the relatively quiet recreational offerings–hunting, fishing, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing–all those things you associate with a national forest,” he said. “And then a separate opportunity for folk to make all the noise that they want to and splash through the mud with abandon.”
After two public meetings, Johnson said the community is taking the idea very seriously–even those who have raised concerns about where the trail would go.
“Even folks who had hunting leases and camping leases in the proposed acreage did not make heated elements,” he said. “They asked intelligent questions and concerns were allayed in the process.”
A feasibility study by the Rahall Transportation Institute ends next month.