Years of planning may see lots of payoff in a short amount of time. The Williamsburg Batavia Hike/Bike Trail was recently awarded a large state grant which will enable the physical completion of the first major portion of the trail, a bridge over Kain Run Creek.
“Recently, the state controlling board released a check from the state capital projects bill for $330,000 to help us with the bridge to cross Kain Run Creek,” said Clermont County Park District Director Chris Clingman. “We’re hoping to do some paving late this summer on the section coming out of Williamsburg from the end of Broadway. Hopefully, next spring we can put in the bridge over Kain Run. That will get us into the next section of trail to an overlook spot that overlooks the lake.”
While the trail has been planned and discussed for years, little to no actual physical construction has thus far been completed. Work to this point has mainly been that of volunteers working to clear the old roadways that will comprise the trail, said Williamsburg Mayor Mary Ann Lefker.
“There’s a group here called ‘serve the burg’ that started a few years ago in the local Methodist Church,” said Lefker. “They saw a need to do stuff around the village, so they formed this and put the word out. That has grown, to where there are now three churches involved. This year, they had 70 kids and did work all over the village. They took shovels and brooms and uncovered black top on the old road from side to side all the way to the landslide. They have done more and more each year.”