Trail Maintenance and Operation - Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

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24 • RAIL-TRAIL MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS
Getting It Done VOLUNTEERS Volunteers are at the heart of almost every trail maintenance effort. Even trails fortunate enough to have some paid maintenance staff will use volunteers whenever possible. This is the best way to stretch Armstrong Trail, Pa. (Allegheny Valley Land Trust) scarce trail maintenance dollars as far as possible. Here are some tips for using and finding volunteers: ➺ Volunteers should always work under the direction and supervision of a responsible adult. This person should preferably represent the entity that will be liable if any mishaps occur. ➺ Volunteers should not do anything that runs contrary to your insurance coverage, private property rights, laws, ordinances, regulations, etc. ➺ Power tools and equipment should not be operated by minors or in the presence of unattended children. ➺ Volunteers should not engage in any police or medical functions unless they are properly certified to do so. If a trail is owned or managed by a nonprofit group, the most likely source of volunteers is the group’s members. These individuals can get stretched thin, however, so it’s a good idea to tap other sources of labor. Some of these include: ➺ Boy or Girl Scout troops and individual Eagle Scout candidates. ➺ School and church groups (youth and adult). ➺ Adult service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, etc.). ➺ The county court system or corrections department can often provide individuals who are incarcerated or have mandatory community service sentences. ➺ Alternative education programs for at-risk youth. ➺ United Way Day of Caring. The more voluntary a person’s participation is, the more he will want his time put to good use with a tangible result, such as planting a garden or building a picnic area, rather than picking up trash. Another way to spread the maintenance load is through an adopt-a-trail program. This follows the adopt-a-highway model that many departments of transportation have. A business, community group, or even a single individual or family, agrees to take on certain routine maintenance functions for a section of the trail. Much like the highway program, “adopters” aren’t going to fix the trail surface. But they can cut the grass, keep the trail clean and attractive, and inform the Baltimore & Annapolis Rail-Trail, Md. (Dave Dionne) RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY • 25
Page 2 and 3: Table of Contents Preface .........
Page 4 and 5: Introduction In about two decades,
Page 6 and 7: Administrative and Financial This s
Page 8 and 9: Table 5: Asphalt/Non-asphalt Trail
Page 10 and 11: Liability, Insurance and Public Saf
Page 12 and 13: Trail Surfaces The trail surface is
Page 14 and 15: Allegheny River Trail, Pa. (Jim Hol
Page 16 and 17: Vegetation and Drainage Vegetation
Page 18 and 19: Trailheads and Amenities Top: Prair
Page 20 and 21: ACCESS CONTROL Most trails are open
Page 22 and 23: Bridges and Tunnels Table 13: Mater
Page 24 and 25: Design and Construction Tips for Ea
Page 28 and 29: All: Capital Area Greenbelt, Pa. (C
Page 30 and 31: Appendix 1 - Resources for Trail Ma
Page 32 and 33: Maintenance Activity Maintenance of
Page 34 and 35: Activity July August September Tota
Page 36 and 37: The following was submitted for the
Page 38 and 39: The following budget was submitted
Page 40 and 41: Appendix 4 - Survey Participants Tr
Page 42 and 43: Survey Participants Air Line State
Page 44: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Northea

Trail Maintenance and Operation - Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

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