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by Michael J. Ference
The Five Star Trail that
parallels Route 119 for
seven miles from Greensburg
to Youngwood is great for
biking or walking. It is
also an inspiring model of
community accomplishment.
“I’ve been involved with the
trail since I saw a little
blurb in the newspaper
announcing an informational
meeting,” trail chapter
president Dave Fait recalls.
“I saw it as a chance to get
involved with a worthwhile
cause. We took it from the
planning stage to its
completion, with a lot of
volunteer help along the
way.”
The Five Star Trail goes
through five municipalities:
Greensburg, South
Greensburg, Southwest
Greensburg, Hempfield
Township, and Youngwood.
Once the five township
councils and borough
managers got involved, the
rest of the community
stepped up to the plate. “We
literally built the trail
and its three bridges, and
we maintain the trail on
volunteer labor,” says Fait.
Westmoreland County played a
critical role in
spearheading development of
the trail and organizing
efforts between communities.
“We did sections one at a
time as the municipalities
were able to provide the
manpower and equipment, and
we were able to complete all
the sections over a two-year
period,” explains Malcolm
Sias, program coordinator
for the Westmoreland County
Parks and county
representative for the Five
Star Trail. Sias says his
interest and love for trails
goes back to the days when
he was a founding member of
the Yough River Trail that
travels from Boston to
Connellsville.
With Lynch Field at one end,
the Five Star Trail connects
bikers and walkers to
several ball fields, an ice
hockey rink, and a swimming
pool. “The Five Star Trail
allows children to go over
to the field on their own
and the parents feel it’s
safe biking or hiking along
the trail,” Sias points out.
“On the other end in
Youngwood, students from the
nearby community college can
now bike back and forth to
class, or on to Armbrust,”
he adds.
Eventually, the trail will
extend another four miles to
Mammoth Park. At that point
the new section will be
known as the Sewickley Creek
Trail. “We’re also in the
middle of planning the
extension from Youngwood to
Scottdale, which should take
about two years to
complete,” said Sias. Once
the trail is completed to
Scottdale, it meets up with
the Coal and Coke Trail from
Scottdale to Mt. Pleasant.
Then it’s on to
Connellsville to connect
with the Yough River Trail,
which is part of the Great
Allegheny Passage, a trail
that traverses from the
Greater Pittsburgh Airport
to Washington D.C.
Bikers and hikers will find
many attractions along the
Five Star Trail. There’s
plenty of food, from ice
cream shops to pizza, and
burgers. There’s also the
Youngwood Train Station,
where the Youngwood
Historical Society houses
its museum — a treat for
railroad buffs and the
entire family. Visitors will
find dated maps, antiques,
and information on how the
railroads operated in the
old days. An old rail car
converted into a concession
stand sells refreshments.
Train lovers enjoy the Five
Star Trail for another
reason: although there are
several rails-to-trails in
the region, the Five Star
Trail is the area’s only
rail-with-trail. “It’s a
slow-moving rail that goes
about ten miles per hour in
one section and about twenty
in another,” says Sias. He
adds that the overall
rails-to-trails program in
this region has been very
successful. “When it’s
completed, it may be one of
the longest rails-to-trails
on the eastern seaboard,” he
points out. “We’re
constantly getting calls
from throughout the United
States on how we did it.”
Mike Ference operates a
full-service promotional
agency, Ference Marketing &
Communications. Mike can be
reached at (412) 233-5491,
or you can e-mail him at
ference@icubed.com.
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