Still waiting for that “Huge Boon” up here in Union County from the Tanglefoot Trail. Like most Government Pork projects a huge waste of money. You want a Huge Boon, give a company tax incentives to come build a plant like Toyota, or build a Sportsplex for the Travel Ballers. Spending Millions on a trail, not so much.
A converted paved rail trail may not give a town a 'huge boon' in spending, but that doesnt mean trails are worthless/bad investment. Quality of life is a vital part of what people consider when deciding where to live. In NEMS, its a rail-trail/MUP(multi-use path) desert...this appears to basically be the only thing in all of NEMS, so if anyone is motivated by living on/near a trail then they now have an option and those towns have that advantage over elsewhere.
Multiple paved trails around me have allowed small rural towns to pull in cash from spending on the weekends- bars and restaurants along the trails are flooded with users. It can absolutely happen, even if it hasnt happened yet along Tanglefoot. Eventually parks are worked on in each town, access paths are added to get to downtown areas where there is food and drink, etc.
^All this depends on people actually wanting to use a recreational path for running, walking, cycling, etc. If the people dont want to use it, then yeah its a financial waste. That would be a damn shame as MUPS and paved trails can be an easy and safe way for families to spend time together and be active, as well as a great way to inject spending and interest into local economies.
