HURRICANE, W.Va. — Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards is relieved American Electric Power Company recently decided to abandon plans to build nearly 20 miles worth of transmission line through the popular Meeks Mountain Trails in Putnam County.
Scott Edwards
“When I heard that AEP was going to look for alternative routes and avoid Meeks Mountain Trails, I was relieved and I’m optimistic about the whole situation,” Edwards said. “The community came out, thousands of people, and spoke and they just didn’t want Meeks Mountain Trails touched. It’s such a huge attraction for our area.”
AEP announced last Friday that, after holding two public forums where members of the public gave feedback on the plans and showed their support for the trails, that they would take the plans back to the drawing board.
George Porter, the director of communications for AEP, said Monday that hearing from so many passionate community members was extremely beneficial.
“For people like myself, I loved it, because it shows that the process works,” Porter said. “So many times we go to these open houses, all we hear is, ‘you guys already know what you want to, you’ve already made up your mind, you already know that you’re going this way.’ We don’t.”
Edwards says representatives of AEP did a thorough job in listening to each person that had input.
“I want to thank the folks at AEP that listened to everybody, and they truly took the concerns of the public, and they listened,” Edwards said. “They came out on the trails, they looked at the trails. I talked to many officials with AEP, and they truly listened. It wasn’t just lip service that we received.”
Meeks Mountain Trails was built by a host of volunteers in the area that welcomes bikers, runners, hikers, and those who just want to go for a walk and enjoy the scenery. Edwards says the trails are the gem of the county.
“Meeks Mountain Trails is 32 glorious miles of hand-built trails over the last five or six years. It’s like the gem of Putnam County, I like to say,” Edwards said.
Edwards says the trail system brings people from all over the country to Putnam County.
“People actually travel here from other states and use the trail system and they’ll spend a couple of days here,” Edwards said. “We’ve actually had people move here. We know of multiple families that have chosen to live here because of the trail system, and they’ve relocated so they can walk or ride their bikes to the trail system.”
Meeks Mountain Trails attracts visitors with an array of organized races and events, including a 100-k run in September.
Edwards says the trails are not just a nice amenity, but rather, a game-changer for the people of Putnam County.
“It’s changed a lot of lives. It’s made a lot of people healthier,” Edwards said. “It’s changed our lives mentally, spiritually, and thousands of friendships have been made on that trail system and because of the whole trail system. It’s bigger than just someone taking a walk in the woods. It’s way bigger than that.”