COWEN WV RAIL HUB TO TRAIL HUB AND
COWEN, WV RAIL HUB TO TRAIL HUB AND GATEWAY TO THE MON FOREST! A SMALL-TOWN KIND OF AMAZING!
OUR PAST • Incorporated August 2, 1899, and named for John K. Cowen, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad President. • We’re 120 Years Old this year! • First High School in the County, and first hospital in the county. • Gateway to Boot Camp and Europe for Webster County in WWI & WWII. • Rail expanded in WWII, most evidence removed in January 2018. • Gateway to the Wilderness and Youth Camps.
OUR FUTURE • • • Proud of our connections to Camp Caesar and West Virginia Baptist Camp. Future re-development of rail and trail connections. Historic B&O Pond and Mon Forest Gateway access. Gauley River Water Trail Expansion. Re-Development of Cowen Railroad Yard area. Connections to Camden-on-Gauley, Richwood, and WV Route 19 at Muddlety. Access Point for the Rimfire ATV Trail System. Pollinator Community and most walkable/accessible community in Webster County. Home of History Makers: We Dream, Dare and Deliver!
PROJECT SUCCESSES • • • Cowen Railroad Depot mothballing/re-painting. Cultivate Cowen Project/Hub. CAP Program. Haunted House. Cowen Country Christmas. Webster County Boys’ Basketball State Championship Parade! Railroad Festival Re-Birth. Rimfire ATV Trails legislation passage and signature! ARC Webster County Broadband Service Expansion. AFNHA Legislation and Signature Success!
REGIONAL COOPERATION Projects that require regional cooperation: • Rail-Trail Expansion/Extensions, becoming the Trail Hub! • Regional Mountain Biking Trail Expansion. • “Rimfire” ATV Trail System Implementation and Development. • Gauley River Water Trails Extension/Expansion. • Mon Forest Gateway Community Initiation/Expansion. • AFNHA Implementation and Expansion.
KEY STAKEHOLDERS • Glade District Improvement Committee, Inc. • Churches and Communities of Faith • Cowen Garden Club • American Legion and Auxiliary. • IOOF/Oddfellows. • Local Business Owners • Many others.
BIGGEST NEED/DESIRED OUTCOME • Development of Trail Hub/Nexus focused around historic B&O Pond Area. • Community need for Economic Development, Improved Overall Wellness and improved transportation and Recreational Equity.
- Slides: 7