We are a group of Point Pleasant residents who have set out on a mission to plan and develop a trail system that gives the citizens of Point Pleasant a safe and appealing place to be active. We also hope to attract cyclists and tourists to our community. We are very much an informal committee, and we all play equal parts in decision-making and share responsibilities.

We began our work in spring 2014 by reaching out to the mayor and city council. We proposed a possible route, and discussed the health and wellness benefits of a trail system and the positive impact it could have on the town’s economy. They were very receptive to the idea. We have also received a lot of support from one of our county commissioners and our county’s tourism director.

We’re currently working in phases to complete our overall goal of the Point Pleasant Bike Trail.  In just one year we were able to establish a marked “safe bike route” through town. And we are currently in the process of designing, purchasing, and installing bike racks.

Though we feel we have done well so far as a grassroots effort, we have been faced with obstacles that have slowed us down.

We have limited space to work with due to the city’s location at the base of the valley’s hills and the banks of the Ohio River, so we’ve tried to seek permission from local landowners to utilize small portions of their property to connect our trail to key points within town.

Recently we have been denied permission, which has sent us back to the drawing board to design an alternative route. This has stalled any grant applications. However, we knew these obstacles may arise, and will continue to work to make the project a success.

This past spring and summer, we organized weekly rides to encourage more townspeople to get out and ride.

We typically had these rides on Friday afternoons, prior to the free weekly concerts at our riverfront park that are known as “Mayor’s Night.” We had solid turnouts this past year and hope to continue this in 2016. By late July, we had noticed a surprising increase in locals riding their bikes throughout the week. Needless to say, we were tremendously happy to see more people out on their bikes.

Last May, our group teamed up with the Mason County Health Department, and another area cycling group, the Bend Area Sprocket Spinners. We held two separate workshops for local kids to teach proper bike safety and maintenance, and we are hoping to hold similar events this upcoming year.

We do some fundraising to help pay for the smaller projects, such as the signs we use to mark our safe bike route, and the bike racks.

Our biggest fundraiser thus far has been our “Mothman Numbers Run,” that we do during the weekend of the annual Mothman Festival in September. The event is similar to a motorcycle poker-run, but we use dice to tally up the best hand. There are door prizes for the kids and the adults have the chance to win a little cash. This coming year will be our third Numbers-Run, and we hope that it keeps growing.

Stay in touch with our efforts to create a trail system in Point Pleasant at www.facebook.com/BikePointPleasant