MANTUA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — For neighbors Wendy Carlton and Marianne Daczko, a new bike trail in front of their homes is not something they support.
"If they do this, they're going to take [this] out – and go to the telephone pole so all this would be gone," Carlton said. "Every one of the trees up here would be gone."
"If they take out those trees, there is no noise reduction on our property," Dacsko added.
The proposed paved bike trail, developed by Portage Parks, would connect existing trails in Mantua and Garrettsville with a newly opened trail created by the city of Aurora.
News 5 spoke with several trail users in Aurora who expressed interest in seeing the trail extend further into Portage County.
While much of the trail in Aurora and in other parts of Portage County exists on an old railroad trail, a 1.5-mile stretch in Mantua Township would require using other property, since the railroad trail is not available and was previously sold years ago.
As a result, Portage Parks has proposed putting that stretch of trail in the front yard of people's property along the Pioneer Trail between Diagonal Road and Mantua Center Road.
Up to about 18 feet would be taken from homeowners' front yards to make room for a path, landscape buffer and graded shoulder.
About 25 signs have been posted along the route, all addressed to Portage Parks Director Christine Craycroft, expressing residents' opposition to the trail.
"We're not calling anybody any names," Carlton said. "We're just talking to the director – we don't want it."
In Daczko's case, that would put the trail about 35 feet from her home.
"If you're standing in your bedroom or your bathroom and the windows are open and they can look in and see what's going on, it takes away your privacy," Daczko said.
In March, Mantua Township trustees passed a resolution forbidding trail development within the right-of-way of township roads.
Christine Craycroft spoke with News 5 about the proposed bike trail extension, explaining that the project remains important for public safety and connectivity.
"Having the trail be a contiguous, safe corridor is really important," Craycroft said. "The headwaters trail has been in development and planning for 30 years. It's for healthy living and encouraging economic development."
However, Craycroft told News 5 that the parks department is now revisiting their trail feasibility study to ensure there are no other options available.
She noted that since Aurora's trail opened earlier this summer and ends at Chamberlain Road, the demand is there.
"It’s going to improve the quality of life for everybody," she said. "We've already seen since the Aurora trail has gone in and ends in chamberlain road, the vast increase in people trying to connect the dots where that trail ends and this trail begins. We know the public wants to get there, and our intention is to provide the safest opportunity to do that."
Construction on this stretch of the trail isn't expected to begin until 2029.
