On Dec. 1 a group of local decision makers and concerned citizens met with members of the National Parks Service and the Center for Disease Control to discuss the development of a hiking and biking trail, to connect Berkley Springs with the Eastern Panhandle.

The Eastern Panhandle Trailblazers worked along with members of Rivers, Trail and Conservation Assistance Program, the CDC and local residents, like Freedom’s Run organizer Mark Cucuzella, to develop a strategy for proposing a walking trail to run along Rt. 9. The group’s discussion centered on the path’s potential health and economic benefits for the area.

According to Anne O’Neil, an outdoor recreation planner and local representative of the RTCA, her organization along with the Trailblazers will work together in the coming months to gather community support and lay the groundwork for the project through further research and discussion.

“The next step is deciding on the route of the trail and getting approval for it,” she said.