LYBURN, W.Va. — Employees of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in southern West Virginia are busy riding each and every trail of the system.
The authority has just over a week to inspect each trail before they are reopened to the public at least in limited fashion next Thursday. Gov. Jim Justice set May 21, just before Memorial Day weekend, as the day to restart operations on the popular tourist attraction in southern West Virginia.
“I think if our riders practice social distancing and wear a mask while down at our businesses, I think this limited reopening will breathe a little bit of life back into tourism in southern West Virginia,” Jeff Lusk, Hatfield-McCoy Trails executive director, said Monday on MetroNews “Talkline.”
Lusk and office workers returned to work Monday along with a couple trail workers.
Jeff Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield McCoy Trails, speaks with @HoppyKercheval about their plan to reopen the trails. WATCH: https://t.co/jmMe7bOYY9 pic.twitter.com/lLQUVAc76B
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) May 11, 2020
Once reopened, the trails will have been shutdown for 60 days. During that time, trees have fallen across the trail, creeks have washed out trails, and other things have happened which need to be fixed before riders will be able to return. However, the biggest blow has been to those businesses in the southern coalfields which started up for the sole purpose of servicing riders who come to the area.
“We’ve got 50 or 60 lodging providers who solely depend on riders and have now been without customers for two or three months,” Lusk said.
Riding permit sales are off about $1 million, Lusk said, however, he said the trail can probably recover that money by the end of the year. He said it’s not as easy for entrepreneurs.
“The lodging providers can’t get those days back. But I do believe since summer is a little slower for us, many of these lodging providers may be able to back fill some of those days,” Lusk said.
Gov. Justice’s reopening order comes with a whole new list of rules regarding wearing masks and social distancing. Lusk said he doesn’t think it will be a problem getting riders to comply.