Corry link in Erie to Pittsburgh Trail is on hold. Why neighbors don't want it

CORRY — A planned Corry link in the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail is on hold, at least for now.

The city has received state grant money to improve the trail along a former rail line between Route 6 and Elk Street. But earlier this month, Corry City Council voted to barricade each end of the path, which has been a community walking route since tracks were removed in the mid-1980s.

The action was mainly due to concerns raised by neighboring property owners, Mayor Michael Baker said.

It's unclear when or if the barricades will be removed and if the trail will be improved as planned.

The trail plan

Trail planning is rooted in the 2020 Corry Connects active transportation initiative by the city and Corry's Blue Zones project, established in 2019 to improve public health and well-being.

The half-mile trail from Elk Street to the Corry Junction Greenway Trail head at Route 6 was among six priorities of the Corry Connects plan, which was adopted by Corry City Council in 2021 as a guideline for future policy. The Corry Junction Greenway Trail already is part of the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail.

Trails and greenspace additionally were identified as one of five community priorities in a strategic plan completed by Impact Corry, a nonprofit development organization, in 2021. Trails would provide Corry residents with safe walking and biking routes and would attract visitors, according to the plan.

Corry City Council voted in May 2021 to partner with Impact Corry and to be the lead applicant for a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant to improve the Route 6 to Elk Street trail, which is on city-owned property. The city also committed $14,000 and the use of city equipment and labor for the project.

Corry was awarded a $73,000 DCNR grant in December 2021 to further clear the trail and install a limestone surface and trail signs.

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Concerns about the trail

Owners of properties bordering the trail have expressed concerns about privacy, noise, security, property values, and potential vandalism, drug activity and thefts.

The concerns presented during recent Corry City Council meetings are valid, Corry Mayor Michael Baker said.

"It's a public nuisance, period," Baker said of the trail. "Having it in your backyard is an invasion of privacy."

Improving the trail and connecting it to others would only make problems worse, Baker said.

"This is just the beginning of the trails they want to put in. If there are this many problems with one-third of that, what would we have when it's all done," Baker said.

The trail should remain closed and grant money to improve it should be returned, Baker said.

"The project just isn't worth the hassle and isn't worth aggravating neighbors. It's just not worth it, period," Baker said. "The trail will be blocked off forever as far as I'm concerned. As mayor, I'm not going to let anybody build a public nuisance."

Trails should be sited away from neighborhoods, Baker said.

"Trails are a good thing but have to be in a good spot, not in backyards," Baker said.

Approximately 60 residential and commercial properties border the trail, according to Impact Corry.

Thirteen neighboring property owners responding to a city survey in March indicated that they oppose the trail. Seven indicated that they support the trail or ranked themselves as neutral.

Support for the trail

Corry residents also have addressed City Council in support of the trail, saying it's a safe and pleasant route, removed from traffic, to local destinations, including Mead Park.

Trail improvements would boost options for outdoor recreation and bring visitors and spending to Corry, supporters said. Supporters include Corry Area Chamber of Commerce and Corry Community Foundation representatives who have addressed council or had statements read to council encouraging trail improvements.

"The community has been pretty receptive to the trail," said Seth Trott, treasurer of the Impact Corry board of directors. "There are some who don't want the trail, especially those with homes near or touching the trail. But for the most part, the community has been widely accepting of it."

The Corry Connects plan identified trails, including the Route 6 to Elk Street trail, as community priorities following a public survey, stakeholder meetings and information provided by the public during community events.

A new Impact Corry petition to save the trail had more than 540 signatures by Monday, in a little over a week.

The trail would connect with others planned in neighboring and nearby communities, including Union City, as part of the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail. The local completion of that trail is identified as a main focus for southeastern Erie County in the Erie County Parks, Trails and Recreation Plan adopted by Erie County Council in July 2020.

"The trail plan also aligns with (an Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership) report that identifies outdoor recreation and tourism as one of six areas of continuing growth in our county," Impact Corry Secretary Jordan Fuller said. Fuller is the director of the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership business accelerator.

The state also is working to strengthen outdoor recreation, both for residents and to draw new residents and visitors to Pennsylvania. The outdoor recreation industry contributes almost $17 billion to the state's economy, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation, created last year to grow the industry.

"Trail networks align almost identically with that strategy," Trott said.

Decisions ahead

State grant funding for the trail is available through 2025. The project would have to be submitted for proposals from contractors. Corry City Council has not authorized that process.

A contract then would have to be awarded by the city. Trail work must be completed by Dec. 31, 2025, to receive the state funding.

"It gives us time to work through neighbors' concerns and create solutions," Fuller said.

Impact Corry has offered to raise money to install privacy screening and security cameras along the path and to maintain the trail, Impact Corry Vice President Erin Passinger said.

"We want to find a solution to make everyone happy. So far the city has not been very receptive to trying to make that happen," Passinger said.

The trail was barricaded at City Council's order in early June pending a decision on whether Impact Corry should be replaced as coordinator for the trail project. No decision has been made on the matter.

Replacing the organization with no guarantee that the trail will be completed could require Impact Corry to repay more than $90,000 already spent on engineering and other work for the project, organization directors said.

Neighbors' concerns about the trail will be paramount in any decisions on its future, Mayor Baker said.

"I don't want any citizens of Corry to get the idea that we're going to put a trail through their backyard whether they like it or not," Baker said. "Citizens have to be protected, and that's my job."

Guest column: Growing our recreational trail networks benefits Erie County residents, and our economy

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Corry blocks proposed rail trail connecting Erie, Pittsburgh