HURRICANE, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Appalachian Power held an open house Tuesday night to explain proposed plans for new transmission and power lines.
People in the area say there is a possibility that a popular trail network could be cut through, affecting businesses and even a memorial to war heroes.
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“What we have in Meeks is impossible to replicate,” said Tracy Toler, head coach of the Putnam County Pedalers. “It’s just not possible.”
Hundreds of volunteers spent countless hours building the trails.
Aaron Gillispie of the Meeks Mountain Trail Alliance is just one of many volunteers. He said the trails mean everything to him.
“We have worked so hard to give something to our community and we just can’t let that be taken away from us,” Gillispie said.
At the open day, there was a table dedicated to hiking trail concerns, and AEP representatives listened to everyone’s concerns.
“I think they’re listening,” Toler said. “They’re probably a little surprised at how serious and passionate we are about the trail system, and we want to let them know that.”
“I feel like they were open-minded,” said supporter Michael Mosteller II. “We were able to consider other alternatives. What I would like to see is for them to maintain an open line of communication with Brandon and the construction team every step of the way.”
AEP spokesman George Porter says they will evaluate all the information collected and use the findings to develop a route that they could present to the public in October.
“We’re early,” Porter said. “I know a lot of people think we’ve already made decisions, but that’s not the case. We’ve done the best we can so far.”
The route has not yet been decided.
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