Associated Press Published

W.Va. Coalfields Panel Grants $20k for Trail Project

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A state Senate panel seeking to revitalize the struggling southern coalfields has awarded a $20,000 grant to a trail project.

At a Thursday meeting in Princeton, Senate President Jeff Kessler and task force members gave the grant to the Piney Creek Trail Committee.

The money will help build a hiking and biking trail starting from Beckley’s YMCA soccer complex, heading to the Raleigh County Airport, then down Piney Creek to the New River Gorge National River.

The panel’s funding went toward matching a $250,000 federal grant.

The Piney Creek Trail Committee is part of the Raleigh County Transportation Authority.

The state Senate’s Southern Coalfields Organizing and Revitalizing the Economy initiative, or SCORE, aims to diversify southern West Virginia. The panel plans to make recommendations before the January legislative session.