Trail Mail
 Friends of the Little Miami State Park    
 www.littlemiamistatepark.org 
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In This Issue
Park Improvements for 2016
Cincinnati Connects: Peddling Forward
What's This?
New Board Members
Support Bike Safety Bills
On-the-Go Convenience: Portalets
Park Improvements for 2016
Salt Run Bridge by Mike Egan
Winter can be beautiful on the trail, but spring is coming! Here are highlights of improvements you'll see in 2016:

Erosion Remediation: Streambank erosion that threatens the trail will be corrected at several locations. Contracted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the projects come at a cost of over $3 million from state capital funds designated for the Little Miami State Park. The most extensive work will be at Fort Ancient, where the trail will have to be moved. Trail closures there are expected in early fall. 

Re-paving: The oldest section of the trail, from Loveland south, will be repaved with funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The remainder of funds provided for our park from the state capital fund will be used to pave north from Loveland until the money runs out.

Crack-Sealing: Funded primarily by a designated grant from Interact for Health and partially with our own resources, FLMSP is contracting for filling and sealing cracks along a major portion of the trail in preparation for repaving.

Root-Cutting: last year, in FLMSP's largest volunteer effort so far, rotating crews using a rented tractor fitted with a special cutting blade severed tree roots at the edge of 40 miles of trail to prevent them from pushing up and making bumps on the trail surface. This spring, before crack filling and repaving begins, the team will apply what it's learned to be even more efficient and effective in cutting roots along the remainder of the trail.

Information Kiosks: Brand-new kiosks at Milford and at Nisbet Park in Loveland will soon be filled with helpful maps and information about local trail-friendly establishments as well as park information and photos. Kiosks farther north on the trail are also in the works. Funding for these is provided by designated memorial donations to FLMSP.

Cincinnati Connects: Peddling Forward
by Nancy Chafin

"A 42-mile off-road super highway for non-motorists." That's how the Cincinnati Connects coalition describes its proposal for connecting four major new multi-use trails into a city network of trails [ Read WCPO article].

To enjoy the great outdoors, I've traveled to Michigan, Indiana and Vermont. When I moved here in 1987, there seemed to be bike trails all around but none in MY backyard.

Now, I can get on my bike in my own neighborhood and explore the best that OHIO has to offer. We as a city have let go of our comfortable beliefs. We are moving forward. Our Metro Buses have bike racks and while there are some limitations to use, we can board a Metro bus WITH OUR BIKE. That's HUGE!

I am still looking for my retirement home and Cincinnati is looking better. My kids live here and I can bike. Keep peddling forward gang, keep peddling forward!

What's This?
Pete Carey, Mike Weber, Carol Collett, and Gary Davis all correctly identified the trail artifact pictured in our last issue as a Journal Box Cover from an old railroad car. The journal box was stuffed with oil-soaked rags or cotton to reduce friction between the wheel axle and frame. Mike Weber says, "Better keep it lubricated or burn off an axle!" Because an overheated wheel bearing could start a fire and even burn up the whole car, the box had to inspected frequently by the "car knocker" [thanks, Carol] and was often repacked at major stops.  Pete Carey says the journal boxes can be seen and opened on the caboose in Morrow. 
 


What have you found near the trail? Let us know by sending an email to  [email protected] . 





Friends of the Little Miami State Park is a nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation and enhancement of the Little Miami State Park. We assist the Ohio Department of Natural Resources with development planning, capital improvements, and safety concerns, as well as providing most of the maintenance of the park. 
 
Tree on Trail? Call Us

A Trail Hotline call informed us of this tree down across the trail in Milford on Feb. 25. The FLMSP volunteer answering the call contacted the adopter of that trail segment, who went out to assess the damage. Mike Dresch and Bruce Cortright had it cleared by 1:30 the next day. Be sure our hotline number is on your phone: 

513-212-6958

Trail Closings & Alerts
Jeremiah Morrow Bridge
Be aware of possible weekday trail closings under the I-71 bridge in March. Closings may be necessary as the Dept. of Natural Resources constructs a retaining wall under the bridge to prevent debris from falling on the trail.

Peters Cartridge Factory
The trail is currently  open near Grandin Road (mile marker 35.0 - 35.5) through the end of March. The trail parking lot at Grandin Rd is also open. Please check the 24/7 hotline for Peters trail closures for updated information: 
513-552-7030. 


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New Board Members

We welcome three new members to the FLMSP Board of Directors this month: Ron Gorley, George Stockham, and John Theuring. All three men are actively involved in regular trail maintenance. In addition, Ron and George helped develop and work on the new Root-Cutting effort that reduces new bumps and cracks on the trail, and John Theuring is leading our Trail Uses Counting program. 

Support Bike Safety Bills

At the recent Ohio Bicycling Summit in Columbus, several State House Representatives presented new bills that would promote bicycle safety in Ohio.
HB 154 and SB 192 would:
1. Require that Ohio motorists pass Ohio cyclists leaving at least three feet of clearance.
2. Permit all Ohio vehicles [including bicycles] to proceed through an intersection after stopping and yielding right-of-way, even when the device designed to move the signal from red to green does not detect the vehicle.

Show your support for HB 154 and SB 192 by going to the Ohio Bicycle Federation website and sending an email to your state representative from a link on the home page. Please also add your name to the online petition, also linked on the OBF home page.

Trail Hotline
513-212-6958

Call or text to report trees or large limbs down on the trail, or other non-emergency safety issues. A photo with location is most helpful.


On-the-Go Convenience
 
Yes, we know-FLMSP should focus its efforts on making the trail safe and smooth, and portable toilets are not part of that. But when you're on the trail and you've gotta go, they suddenly become important. For that reason, FLMSP provides rental port-a-lets at 6 trail access points that do not have year-round facilities of their own. Some, like the new location beside the trail in Miamiville, are year-round; others fill in for the cooler months at places like Fosters, where permanent facilities are only seasonal. When possible, we partner with local governments to share the expense, as we do in South Lebanon.