A group of elected leaders, local government staff, non-profits, trail advocates, and PDC staff met on November 7, 2019 in the Town of Mt. Jackson to convene the Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail Exploratory Partnership. The Rail Trail is proposed to run for 38 miles connecting eight towns and two counties between the Town of Strasburg in northern Shenandoah County to Broadway in northwestern Rockingham County.
At the meeting, a set of bylaws was approved, Mr. Brandon Davis, NSVRC Executive Director and Ms. Bonnie Riedesel, CSPDC Executive Director were elected chair and vice-chair respectively and Mr. Don Hindman was appointed as the Program Director of the Partnership. The Partnership will reconvene in early 2020 to develop a scope of work for a rail trail feasibility study and master plan, and to begin work with Ursula Lemanski, who will provide technical assistance and project coordination to the Partnership through the National Park Service via a Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program. Visit the Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail website for more information.