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Local boosters of the Great Allegheny Passage are considering a 10-kilometer race to boost awareness of the McKeesport-area sections of the hiking-biking trail.

At a meeting Tuesday, members of McKeesport Trail Commission said the race would promote use of the 6.2-mile "Loop" that links Downtown with Christy Park, Versailles, Elizabeth Township, Port Vue and Liberty. Trail Commission President Linda Brewster said the target date for the race would be mid-October.

But a number of issues need to be addressed, commission members said --- including the condition of portions of the trail in Port Vue and Liberty. The weather has left parts of the trail on the opposite side of the Youghiogheny River "in bad shape," with ruts and cave-ins, said one commissioner, the Rev. Brian Evans.

Pending construction on the Boston Bridge between Versailles and Elizabeth Township presents another challenge, commission members said. The bridge will be closed to motorized vehicles from June through September, and although bicycles will be allowed on the sidewalk throughout much of the construction project, that passageway is narrow.

"If we're going to (have a race), there's a lot of coordination that has to be done yet, and in reality, we don't have a lot of time," Evans said.

Some members of the board suggested that if a 10K race is out of the question due to bridge construction and other factors, it might be possible to hold a 5K race restricted to the McKeesport and Versailles sections of the trail. The commission expects in May to have a better idea of whether any race is feasible this year.

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Motorized Vehicle Ordinance Proposed: In other business, the commission may ask city council to consider an ordinance restricting motorized vehicles from the trail. Power wheelchairs and other mobility devices for the disabled would be allowed, but dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, go-carts, motor scooters and similar gas- or electric-engined vehicles would be banned.

Special exemptions would be made for emergency vehicles and for lawn tractors being used for maintenance along the trail.

Commission members said that although city police regularly patrol the trail, there is no law enabling them to enforce restrictions against motorized vehicles.

Under one proposed draft ordinance currently being studied, police would be able to cite violators and impound their ATV or dirt bike pending a hearing before a district magistrate. Magistrates would be allowed to fine operators up to $600 or sentence them to 30 days in jail.

Similar ordinances have been adopted by other communities along the Great Allegheny Passage, said Bob MacGregor, a volunteer trail monitor.

The commission will study the draft ordinance, Brewster said, and will likely present a formal proposal to Mayor Regis McLaughlin and city council later this year.

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Spring Spruce-Up Planned: Volunteers will descend on the areas of the trail near the McKees' Point Marina in June for a beautification project, commission members said. Details of the work are still being finalized and the name of the group is being withheld for privacy reasons.

In addition, trail commission volunteers will conduct a survey of trail users between 10 a.m. and 12 noon May 21, MacGregor said.

Also on May 21, a "Night at the Races" event is slated at the Palisades to benefit the McKees' Point Marina and the McKeesport Trail Commission, board members announced.

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