June 23-The Mayo River Trail is now under construction by Sowers Construction out of Mt. Airy, NC. Grading for the access road and parking lot is underway.

The trail follows the Mayo River and is the railroad bed for the Danville and Western Railway, otherwise known as the "Dick and Willie". Survey crew pictured here is a Patrick County business, Benchmark Surverying & Design, PLC. Their contact info is as follows: 5017 Ararat Hwy. Ararat, Va 24053 Phone: 276-251-5119 Owner: Patrick Hall, PE. LS The first phase of the Mayo River Trail parallels Commerce Street, and runs from the intersection of Main Street and Commerce Street to near (and behind) the EMI Office building. Sowers Construction has grading equipment in place and personnel on site working. The Mayo River is very scenic at the point this photo was taken. Most of our local residents have never seen this beautiful river basin up and close. This will not only be a great recreational trail, but will give the fisherman opportunity to obtain better access to the river. Funding for this project is federal and comes from VDOT enhancement funds and private donations of money and land. For more detailed photos contact the Chamber of Commerce The first phase of the trail cost $234,000 and is paid for with VDOT transportation enhancement funds, plus matching money. Photo by Tom Bishop News Story by Tom Bishop, Patrick County Chamber of Commerce