BELLEFONTE — A consultant has been selected and could be hired in a few weeks as the aggressive plan to connect Bellefonte to Milesburg with a multi-use trail chugs forward.
At the April 4 meeting of the Centre County Board of Commissioners, senior county planner Mike Bloom said a five-member review committee looked at eight proposals of possible clients to conduct a feasibility study and pre-construction analysis on the 2.5-mile trail. The list was narrowed to four before the group recommended hiring Pashek & MTR, of Pittsburgh.
“This is what this group does,” said Bloom. “They know what they’re doing and have a very good reputation with their projects.”
According to Bloom, Pashek & MTR’s bid of $84,750 came in under the budget of $85,800. The funding came by way of state grants and $15,300 in matching funds raised by local project partners.
The commissioners unanimously approved the committee’s selection. Bloom said the county will now work with the company to draft a contract. After approval of the contract and plan by the state Department of Community and Economic Development, Pashek & MTR can begin the project. Bloom said if approved, the study would begin in early May and be finished by January 2018.
Commissioner Michael Pipe commended the committee’s selection, thanking it for selecting a contractor that chose local sub-contractors to help with the study. Those local companies include Stahl Sheaffer Engineering, Woods and Waters Consulting, of Boalsburg, and landscape artist Dan Jones, of State College, in addition to Christine Davis Consultants, of Verona.
Bloom said the consultant will define the exact facility type the trail will be. He said it will be labeled as a multipurpose, non-motorized trail; however, he noted the consultant could also label it in other categories as well, including shared-use path or on/off road. The consultant will also determine the preferred alignment for the trail and outline required permitting, easements, right-of-way acquisitions and any environmental, historic or prehistoric impacts requiring study.
“(The consultant) will also provide specific and very detailed cost estimates for engineering, acquisition, environmental clearance, utility relocation, permitting and construction,” said Bloom.
Once the consultant’s study is complete, Bloom said the county can begin applying for grant funding through programs under the state departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Transportation. Engineering and permitting could then begin in 2019 with construction to follow in 2020.
“We have to thank our partners in this project,” said Bloom. “Without their local matching dollars, this project wouldn’t be possible. Their involvement is pretty much unprecedented in the grant world, especially with how fast they turned this around for us.”
Those chipping in to the $15,300 local match include Bellefonte Borough, Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, ClearWater Conservancy, Centre Foundation, CentreBike, Nittany Mountain Biking Association, State College Cycling, Tussey Mountain Outfitters and the Michael and Alice Young family.
