Pike County is hoping to receive $33,000 in funds to be used to create a 36-mile recreational trail on the Tug River which would stretch from Virginia to the Pike/Martin county line.

District Six Magistrate Chris Harris spoke to the Fiscal Court about the Hatfield McCoy River Trail. He asked the court to adopt a resolution to approve an application to the Recreation Trails Program, which is funded through the Kentucky Department of Local Government.

The grant, Harris explained, would be for $66,000. That amount would include $33,000 in matching funds from the county. However, half of that could take the form of labor, such as cleaning up the river bank, putting up markers and other efforts needed to complete the project.

Magistrate Hilman Dotson, whose district would also include the area bounded by the river, is working with Harris to secure funding for the project.

“Summit Engineering has done the design already,” Dotson said. “The plans call for at least eight sights for people to launch their boats, picnic and camp. It will be a good thing if we can get it going.”

Some recreational features, such as boat ramps and handicap accessible fishing piers, were put in place by the US Army Corp of Engineers when the flood wall was built, Harris said. He noted the new River Trail would incorporate those areas into the design.

Matt Elliot, with Summit Engineering, said a budget of $66,000 could also include improvements to recreation areas already in use.

“We could make improvements to the Hatfield McCoy Park at McCarr,” Elliot said. “We could also work on the boat ramp at the South Williamson Park, as well as landscaping, garbage cans, general maintenance done at parks.”

Matt Williams, a project engineer at Summit, designed the trail. He said the plans call include a trail from the Vir-ginia/Kentucky state line in Pike County to the Martin county line. He said Martin officials have not yet committed to extending the trail any farther.

“The master plan recommends the trail go into Martin County,” Williams said. “But as of yet I don’t know that they have been working to secure funding for that. Obtaining grants, that kind of thing, is a long drawn out process, and I don’t know if they are going to pursue that.”

Harris said in addition to applying for the grant, he is working to gain support for the project at the state level.

“I have drafted letters to Sen. Ray Jones and Rep. Keith Hall asking them to consider the project for possible coal severance funding. We have some beautiful sites that the county already owns or has accesses to. It’s a great plan that the county can develop for a reasonable amount of money.”