Fort Cherry Friends of the Montour Trail trying to raise money for equipment
Fort Cherry Friends of the Montour Trail have turned to social media to help them maintain their section of the trail.
The all-volunteer group has started a GoFundMe page, https://www.gofundme.com/FortCherryFMT, to raise money to purchase a commercial tractor.
“We have the volunteers; we just need the equipment,” said Phil Sapovchak, a member of the group.
The friends are responsible for tending a 10-mile-long strip of the trail from the Allegheny County line to the Cecil Township line that, when the width is considered, amounts to a minimum of 40 miles.
They mow the grass, clear the deadfall, pick up litter and perform general maintenance so the trail remains safe and enjoyable for walkers, runners and cyclists. Their section also includes the Quicksilver Bridge.
The group has access to equipment owned by the trail council, but they must share it with four other friends groups that help maintain the trail. Since groups must schedule times in advance, they are at the mercy of the weather and can’t always mow as often as they’d like.
“We have the rotation,” Sapovchak said. “I guess what we don’t have is the equipment. Some of these guys are pushing 80.”
Sapovchak said a commercial lawn mower costs about $10,000. One of Sapovchak’s buddies suggested that he search Craig’s list – and he has. But because the equipment is not for his own use, Sapovchak said he hesitates to buy something used.
“Every rainstorm, windstorm, I go down,” he said. “The tree line has some trees that are pretty substantial.”
The Montour Trail Council was organized in November 1989 by a group of private citizens interested in acquiring the abandoned right-of-way of the Montour Railroad, plus the Peters Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and developing it as a trail for nonmotorized recreation.
In 1992, the MTC opened its first 4.5 miles in Cecil Township, and was followed by another 11.5 miles in Moon, Robinson, North Fayette and Findlay townships in western Allegheny County in 1993 and 1994.
Since then, the Montour Trail has gradually grown to more than 40 miles, creating almost an uninterrupted pathway from Moon Township near the Ohio River to Clairton alongside the Monongahela, plus a branch into Bethel Park.