On a sunny fall day, October 17th , the board of directors of Chautauqua Rails to Trails hosted a Grand Re-opening of the Nadine and Paul Webb Trail in Mayville. Refreshments and a hike ensued. The sixty-plus attendees enjoyed words from several of the people who helped to make the trail resurfacing with crushed limestone, along with bridge improvements, a reality. Financial support was received from the Chautauqua Community Foundation, the Ralph Wilson Legacy Fund and in-kind support from the Village of Mayville.
President Jim Fincher stated, “We feel the limestone is an excellent counterpoint to the asphalt trail from the Village Park to Route 430. We fully expect to see as many people using the Webb Trail as use the asphalt trail. It will add greatly to the Village of Mayville and our wonderful trail system.”
Celebrants enjoyed other inspirational words and background information from Fincher, Webb family representative Ben Webb, Chautauqua County Legislator and board member Bill Ward, State Senator George Borrello, Mayville Mayor Ken Shearer and Ba Zan Lin of the Ralph Wilson Legacy Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo. In place of a ribbon cutting, the ritual was in the form of a branch-lopping—a constant maintenance activity of the 30 miles of the Chautauqua Rails to Trails system. Ben Webb is shown lopping a branch.
To learn more about Chautauqua Rails to Trails visit Chaurtt.org.
