ExperienceCultureHistoryPride

Hot-FootRail Trail

The City of Shelby, NC

Matthew Banks, Caroline Dillon, Bryana Mistretta, Jimmy Palmer, William Thurner

The purpose of the rail trail is two-fold; a safe, affordable mode of transportation for citizens without cars while also promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. This proposal consists of recommendations for the public relations, marketing, and implementation of features along the Hot-Foot Rail Trail. We hope that The City of Shelby, NC will find these recommendations to be useful as the city moves forward in developing the Hot-Foot Rail Trail.

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Table of Contents

Vision

PR and Marketing

Signage | Social Media | Events | Geocaching

Community Involvement

Student Intern or Volunteer | Support from Local Businesses | Naming the Trail | Opportunities for the Homeless

Trail Accessibility

Trailheads | Accessibility & Parking | Bike Share

Trail Safety

Railings | Signage | Lighting | Emergency Systems | Share the Road Program | Crosswalks

Trail Features

Pet Clean-Up | Bike Repair | Depot Options | Historical Signage | Cultural Mural | Utilities

Maps

Sources

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Vision

The City of Shelby, North Carolina is rich with a unique culture and history that cannot be experienced anywhere else. That is why it is important to create a public venue where both locals and visitors can experience a portion of what makes Shelby exceptional. The recommendations in this document will ensure the Hot-Foot Rail Trail is a point of pride for citizens of Shelby as well as a nexus for revitalization of the City of Pleasant Living’s west side for years to come.

The Hot-Foot Rail Trail. This name reflects why Shelby is so unique and connects the City’s vision of the trail to the railroad’s history. ‘Hot-footer’ is a slang term referring to a train conductor or engineer who is always in a hurry as he moves about the train. The term refers to a person who must have high energy to work diligently to get from point A to point B. The Hot-Foot Rail Trail will be a place for commuters to get to and from: work, school, and downtown in a safe and efficient way. However, that is only one aspect of the trail; we believe that the trail will be a popular and fun way for the people of Shelby and the city’s visitors to get moving and learn about Shelby.

Experiencing Shelby’s treasures is the main goal of this trail. The trail will be a place where anyone and everyone can spend their free time. A place where time is not lost but remembered, a place where history is learned and memories are made. We believe that the Hot-Foot Rail Trail is the path to showing the people of Shelby and those who come from near and far, that Shelby is the birthplace of great musicians, festivals, and more. Not just the trail itself, but the unique aspects of Shelby highlighted along the trail will be the reason why locals find their way back to the Hot-Foot Trail on weekends and why visitors passing through Shelby will keep coming back!

Many trails are used for recreational purposes and research shows that a majority of trail users across the country are white, male, college educated, and part of the upper middle class. The Hot-Foot Rail Trail will predominately be a means for commuting to and from work, school, and the downtown area. While many members of the City of Shelby do not fit into the same criteria as the typical trail user, we have made certain branding recommendations tailored to the citizens of Shelby.

We believe that by applying our recommendations, Shelby’s Hot-Foot Rail Trail will be utilized immediately after the project has been completed.

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Signage Promote the sites of future trailheads before the trail is completed. Make people aware of the

different locations in which they will be able to enter the trail. Post signs in local businesses that are willing to cooperate and who are excited about the rail trail. The City of Shelby should target establishments whose clientele already value a healthy lifestyle.

Executing this strategy from the outset of the marketing campaign will create an enthusiastic, loyal base whose energy will permeate to others who may not normally be excited about healthy initiatives.

Social Media Social Media platforms have become the primary channel through which young people

communicate their day-to-day experiences. Creating a unified handle for Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook will be crucial to spreading information about the Hot-Foot trail organically and cheaply. A possible handle could be @ShelbyHotFoot.

Audrey Whetton, of the Uptown Shelby Association, has indicated that image based messaging through Facebook and Instagram has been the most effective way to market Uptown's events.

The most effective way to raise discussion online about the trail amongst locals and tourists is through one hashtag. Some possible hashtags to publicize on physical literature and social media include:

Events There is an opportunity to share the City of Shelby’s vision of the trail to the city’s locals in order to

show the intent behind the trail's creation while simultaneously forming a stronger bond between citizens and the trail.

Annual events such as Shelby Live, the Mush, Music, & Mutts Fest, and the American Legion World Series Baseball tournament will naturally draw visitors to Shelby. By marketing the trail at these and other popular events, visitors’ time spent in Shelby will increase.

A study conducted by the Business Council of New York State found that visitors to Stowe, VT stayed an average of one day longer than visitors to other resort areas due to their 5.5 mile mixed-use trail.

An annual bike ride hosted by local cycle shops and held on the Hot-Foot Rail Trail will promote a healthy lifestyle and a reason for members of Cleveland County to use the trail.

The concept of biking to work has become popular recently. Southern Maryland has seen an increase in cycling to work due to a “Bike to Work Day” campaign.

Our strongest recommendation to increase the chances of citizens using the Hot-Foot Rail Trail as a commuting route is to implement a “Bike to Work” campaign in Shelby.

PR and Marketing

o #ShelbyHotFoot o #ExperienceShelbyo #OnTheHotFoot

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PR and Marketing

Geocaching Geocaching is a popular activity that currently exists in Shelby. Participants track down caches of

hidden items using GPS coordinates. Shelby host several caches in both the urban and rural areas of the community. By creating a geocache specific to the Hot-Foot Rail Trail the numbers of tourist visiting the trail will increase. Several larger scale events are held through geocaching during which groups ranging from hundreds to thousands congregate at a cache location. Shelby should host one of these events for the implemented Hot-Foot Rail Trail geocache.

The following are the geocache locations in Shelby with their recorded number of visits:o Dangerously Close-152 visitso Downtown Webbley- 234 visitso An Expensive Lunch Break- 314 visitso Get in the Zone- 196 visitso Run for the Border- 76 visitso Uptown Shelby #1-48 visitso Five-O- 69 visits

Geodashing, a similar activity, is when GPS coordinates are released at a set time and people ‘dash’ or ‘race’ to them rather than exchanging a hidden item.

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Student Interns/Volunteers The city of Shelby would benefit from recruiting an unpaid PR and marketing intern or volunteer to

assist in establishing and maintaining a social media presence. Gardner-Webb University and Cleveland County Community College are great places to recruit

students who know Shelby and would be willing to manage the social media branding of the trail.

Support From Local Businesses Local businesses are excited about the Hot-Foot Trail and want to be involved! Posting signs and literature about the trail inside of local businesses will be a great, low-cost way to

create a buzz and attract visitors. People seeing local support for the new trail will build anticipation for its completion.

Shanewolf’s Cycle Sport Shop and Puzzle Creek Outdoor Company have expressed interest in bike share or bike rental programs for people who want to cycle on the trail. Both companies have also lead guided biking tours. It would be a simple change to include the trail in these programs.

Create a ‘friend of the trail’ rewards program that would provide discounts at participating stores for displaying use of the trail. Just as an example; “take a picture on the trail, include #ShelbyHotFoot in your post and get half off your second drink.”

Contact shops about the possibility of pop-up shops or mobile vendor carts along the trail; a frozen yogurt from Fuzzy Peach on a hot day or a coffee from Lilybean on the way to work would go a long way toward conducting traffic onto the trail.

Businesses we have contacted who are willing to endorse the trail include Schanewolf’s Cycle Sport Shop, Puzzle Creek Outdoor Company, The Swamp Fox Trading Co., and The Pleasant City Wood Fired Grille. A more extensive outreach effort will lead to a longer list of supportive businesses. 

Naming The Trail Holding a contest where locals can submit potential names for the rail trail will increase awareness

and community ownership of the trail. Placing boxes in local businesses is a convenient way for locals to be part of the creative planning process.

Make the contest light-hearted and fun; include a prize (like a bike) for the winning name. After all, the trail will be used as a recreational feature- levity is a good thing!

Community Involvement

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Trail Accessibility

Signage Signs along the trail will inform trail users how far away they are from access points. Signs should be both user friendly and promote the brand of the trail.

o The Erie Trail in Ohio has user friendly signage that indicates the distance to the next trail access point and the average time that it would take to get there by bicycle.

o Displaying signs with an urban-industrial look will promote the branding of the trail.

Trailheads Trailheads will allow convenient and safe access to the trail in strategic locations. Trailheads should include a map of the trail and a map of Shelby highlighting local favorites to

encourage patronage of local business. Suggested locations for trailheads are as follows:

o Marion St. and Morgan St. (Ideal welcome center site)o DeKalb St. and the trail crossing (Closest to Shelby Middle School)

A .43 mile sidewalk may be necessary behind guardrail of DeKalb St. to connect Shelby Middle School to the trail.

o Andrew Jackson Highway and Dixon Street (Closest to Shelby High School) o Morgan St. and Gardner St. (On the town border making accessibility to the people of

Patterson Springs available) The proposed trail route currently crosses diagonally through Lafayette St. Students using the trail to

get to Shelby High School will have to cross at this point. After exiting the trail at the Shelby High School trailhead students will have to walk down Textile St. for .3 miles before crossing DeKalb St. to get to the high school. Middle school students will have to cross Morgan St. Crosswalks will be needed to ensure safety for the students.

Accessibility and Parking All major access points should be handicap accessible. Signage should be placed in West Shelby in an attempt to include those in the lower-income portion

of the city. There is a perception that only upper middle-class people use bike trails so reaching out to this community early could cultivate a culture of inclusion for years to come.

Possible lots to be utilized for trail parking include those by Charleston Place in Uptown as well as the rows closest to the trail in the Dollar Beauty lot. A long-term lease agreement may be the best way to get business owners on board with allowing rail trail parking in private lots.

Bike racks around town, especially at Shelby’s schools and along streets with lots of retail, will be necessary. If Shelby wants to encourage positive lifestyle changes, those who choose to bike need to be accommodated with a place to store their bike near their destination.

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Bike Share Program Local bike shops have expressed interest in reviving or starting their own bike rental or share

programs. Implementing a program with more durable bikes within the town can also be done in other cities along the trail and encourage travel between towns.

An ideal bike share program is Divvy, a program located in Chicago that has drawn rave reviews about its various initiatives to include all members of its municipal community. A study of Western Virginia has shown that the typical rail trail user is white, male, middle class, and college educated. Unlike many programs that cater to this base, Divvy has placed bike stations in underserved communities in an effort to increase overall usage.

Annual membership is $75, but membership is subsidized for those who qualify, reducing the annual fee to $5. Annual passes for those living within 300% of the poverty line as well as discounts for commuting students are available. Annual memberships grant an unlimited quantity of thirty-minute rides. This seems to be a suitable timeframe for commuting Chicagoans to get to and from school and work, but the thirty-minute timetable could be amended if that proves to be insufficient in Shelby. In an attempt to field applications for annual passes, Divvy has offered free helmets to the first 250 lower-income applicants. This is a great idea for Shelby and is consistent with the trail's emphasis on safety and community accessibility.

The bikes themselves are very durable; like most bikes utilized by bike sharing programs, these are not particularly attractive. They do, however, include some important features that make for a safer, more enjoyable ride; three gear speeds, front and rear flashing LED lights powered by pedaling, a bell, and a front basket.

Challenges of implementing bike share: Divvy restricts its membership to individuals over the age of 16, but Shelby's program could be tailored to fit its citizens’ needs. Also, a bank account (credit or debit card) is necessary to register in order to protect against lost, damaged, or stolen property. Possible solutions include prepaid debit cards or finding local organizations that would be willing to hedge the liability of letting unbanked citizens take out bikes. ‘Unbanked’ status has proven to be the main barrier of entry for lower-income citizens. In a city the size of Shelby, it may be possible for unbanked citizens to register for membership with a state-issued ID. These users would then be liable for theft or damage with the police; this is not ideal, but perhaps necessary to get unbanked citizens involved in a membership program.

Trail Accessibility

RailingsThe rail trail will mainly run along Morgan Street, where a traffic incident could easily injure a pedestrian or cyclist on the Hot-Foot Trail. Installing guardrails or railings will increase safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Most importantly, railings will create a sense of safety along the trail. According to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the rail should be 54 inches tall to properly protect the average male cyclist. SignageA clearly marked list of rules for the trail at trailheads as well as reminders along the path can head off some potential behavioral issues before they arise. Confidence in other users’ knowledge of the Dos and Don’ts of the trail will help with user comfort.Share the road/trail signs keep pedestrians aware of their surroundings and establish the traffic flow of the trail walkers and riders.According to the Northern Bonneville Shoreline Trail Master Plan, signage should include mileage, user orientation info, and important safety information. However, this document also warns that trail signs are often objects of vandalism and theft, so only construct signs where necessary.Give 3 Feet is an organization that promotes share the road safety between motorists, pedestrians and cyclists when they are on the road. Handing out the bumper stickers that they produce would be a great way to raise awareness among the community. Trail LightingTo ensure the safety and visibility of the trail for commuters during dark hours, install solar LED street lamps. These lighting systems can be installed even in areas where grid access is not available.While lighting can be costly, it will make locals and tourists more likely to utilize the trail at night.Sol Inc. sells solar LED street lamps for $3,500 with a $1,000 installation fee.Emergency SystemsInstalling Blue Light Emergency Phone Systems would increase actual and perceived safety.Blue Light Emergency Systems are often spread around college campuses and parks. It is an easy way for people on the Hot-Foot to contact authorities in the event of an emergency. These systems range from $4,000 to $7,000.

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Trail Safety

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Trail Safety

Share the Road Program Share the trail and share the road programs will be crucial to keeping all trail users safe both when

they are on the trail and upon entering or exiting. A short education program about sharing the road at bike share programs should be created to

increase safety along the trail for cyclist and non-cyclist. While employing a “Bike To Work Day/Week” would promote the use of the trail as a means of

transportation to and from work, there needs to be a share the road program so that users are safe during their commute.

Traffic Crossings Installing crosswalks at high traffic intersections will increase safety for trail users. After collecting 212 survey responses, National Trails Training Partnership proposed that road and

trail intersections implement certain features to decrease the possibility of future accidents. Individuals stated there was not sufficient signage around the road and trail intersections. Forty-

three percent of those surveyed said that they lacked knowledge about intersections. Recommendations given in this report and that will benefit Shelby are as follows:

o Speed bumps on the road before crosswalks.o Clearly marked/painted crosswalks.o Signage such as ‘stop’ and ‘yield’ on the trail before crosswalks.o Use of flashing signals and warning signs. 

Intersections all along the trail, especially at the intersection of Morgan Street and Warren Street, need to be more pedestrian friendly with clear crossing points.

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Trail Features

Historical Signage The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program was established in 1935. A historical

marker would serve as an excellent source of state pride on the trail. These markers serve as a great agent to teach about the past.

The New York City High Line has placed image-based signage on their trail that illustrates the history of the rail spur. This type of signage is both aesthetically pleasing and informative.

Interpretive Graphics is a company creating historical signage from start to finish.

Bike Repair Station The Hot-Foot Rail Trail will be used as a conduit for many citizens of Shelby, often taking them

miles away from their homes and tools. Sometimes minor adjustments and repairs (putting more air in tires, tightening a nut on a wheel, realigning a chain etc.) need to be made en route. For this reason, it is our recommendation that public bike repair stations are put in place.

These stations allow trail users to make quick repairs without having to walk their bike home or pay for repairs at a service station. Tools included in typical repair stations including ones by Dero Co. are: 2 screwdrivers, various sized allen wrenches, a pedal and headset wrench, various box wrenches, 2 tire levers, and a rack to place the bike on while servicing it.

Pricing for only the tools and housing is $689, but if a pump is included the price changes to $1,081. To lower costs, the pump and tool stations can be purchased separately, but the housing that includes the bike rack will not be included. The freestanding tool station without housing is $385 and the pump alone is $392. These prices do not include installation costs.

No matter which combination is chosen, we recommend including the pump because most bike maintenance done by trail riders has to do with tire pressure. Repair and air stations should be placed at the proposed welcome center along the trail in West Shelby where the commercial environment will bring higher traffic and at the proposed trail head for Shelby Middle and High School approximately 1.8 miles south of the proposed Welcome Center.   

Pet Clean Up Stations Walking with pets is a popular activity on recreational trails creating a need for proper disposal of

pet waste. It is possible that simple 'Please clean up after your pet' signage will work, but to better ensure cleanliness, waste stations should be placed.

Maintenance is minimal on these stations, but someone will have to empty the bins and replenish the bags periodically. Pricing ranges from $25 for just the sign to around $200 for a sign/ bag dispenser/waste bin combo. These prices do not include installation.

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Trail Features

Depot Options If the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company is interested in transferring ownership of the train depot

to Shelby there are several creative ways to transform this currently abandoned building into a lively, attractive space.

o Historical Museum: The Tiburon Point Train & Ferry Depot located just outside of San Francisco, CA has done a great job with transforming an old and unused depot station into a spot of historical significance. In the case of Tiburon they went back and talked to the daughter of the last station master (who worked until 1940) and based the restoration of the depot on her memories of the site. Many of the items displayed in the museum were donations from locals. The new Tiburon Point Depot Museum is an excellent example of how a depot can be used to tell the stories of the past to the current population. Today, the spot runs mainly on sponsorships from the surrounding community.

o Cafes: In Castleton, Vermont a couple was able to take over an old train depot and turn it into a cafe and bake shop while preserving the integrity of the original structure. Its connection to the past has made it a local favorite.

Opportunity for the Homeless Offering homeless community members employment opportunities as event staff or maintenance on

the trail will give them the chance to be involved with the rejuvenation of West Shelby. Recently Spartanburg's lower income Northside opened Monarch Cafe, a restaurant focused on

serving locally sourced foods while also employing members of the surrounding community. Many employees start with no experience, however the Monarch Cafe and its partner, The Butterfly Foundation, have set up a 12-week culinary training program. Their mission states: “We are committed to the empowerment, transformation and transitioning for low wealth individuals and families to become self-sufficient and self-confident citizens of Upstate, South Carolina.”

 To date this program has had 61 participants, and has an 85% full-time job placement rate.  Monarch Café owes its success to partnerships with similar organizations in the area. They work

with the Hub City Farmer’s Market and the Northside Harvest Park to obtain locally grown food. Using Monarch Café as a model, Shelby could partner with the FootHills Farmer's Market to create a similar project.

  In Spartanburg, the Butterfly project has breathed new life into the Northside. For this reason, we suggest a comparable project to employ some of the lower income population in Shelby while also utilizing some of the currently abandoned spaces on the Hot-Foot Rail Trail.

 Visit www.butterfly-sc.com/monarch.html for more information on the work the Butterfly Foundation has done at the Monarch Café.

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Trail Features

Skate Park In the City of Shelby there are members of the youth population that enjoy skateboarding, but do not

have an organized location to pursue their passions. This causes them to skateboard in areas where other people of Shelby do not enjoy seeing unauthorized ramps and railings.

A designated location for a skate park where teens can skate safely in a controlled environment. The location we recommend for this project is the greenspace just north of the concrete plant. This location gives the youth an opportunity to “get on board” with the Hot-Foot Rail Trail.

The cost of both design and construction of a skate park depends on size but will range from approximately $35-40 per square foot. A 3,000 square foot skate park would support a few skaters at a time, while an 8,000 square foot skate park would support a city of 25,000; we recommend a skate park somewhere in between.

Cultural Mural According to the American Planning Association (APA),

          “Arts and culture strategies help to reveal and enhance the underlying identity — the unique meaning, value, and character — of the physical and social form of a community. This identity is reflected through the community's character or sense of place. A community's sense of place is not a static concept; rather, it evolves and develops over time, reflecting the spectrum of social values within and around the community.”

A well designed mural will help Shelby balance the inherent disconnect between the past, present, and future in a creative way.

Spartanburg has a large mural on the side of a building downtown that attracts the attention of both locals and visitors because of its bright colors and general overview of the city’s history and culture. People have blogged about it, taken pictures in front of it, and used it as a meeting place. Perhaps most importantly, though, it has become a point of pride for locals.

Attractive murals are often photographed and stir up a buzz on social media.

Utilities According to the Business Council of New York State Inc, 40% of rail trails also serve as utility

corridors. o The town of Lloyd in the Hudson Valley received $400,000 for allowing fiber optic cable to

be run underneath its five-mile trail.

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Opportunity areas in Uptown Shelby along the proposed Rail Trail

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Sources

General ResearchRails to Trails Conservancyhttp://www.railstotrails.org Conservation Tools for Trailshttp://conservationtools.org/guides/97-Economic-Benefits-of-Trails Greenville County Recreation Swamp Rabbit Trail Surveyhttp://greenvillerec.com/studies-surveysActive Transportation Alliancehttp://activetrans.org/about-us

Community InvolvementOpportunities For the Homelesshttp://www.butterfly-sc.com/monarch.htmlThe APA’s research on creativity within a communityhttps://www.planning.org/research/arts/briefingpapers/pdf/character.pdf

Safety Research Railingshttp://design.transportation.org/Documents/BikeRailHeight,NCHRP20-7%28168%29FinalReport.pdf Crosswalk Research http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/planning/facilities_crossings_crosswalks.cfmNational Trails Training Partnershighttp://www.americantrails.org/resources/safety/ptnyroadtrail.htm]  Lighting http://www.solarlighting.com/product-categories/pathway-and-trail-lighting Driver Education http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/programs/education_bike_driver.cfmShared Use Pathshttp://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/pdfs/manual/Chapter5.pdfGive3feet Campaignhttp://www.cascade.org/give-3-feet

Trail Features ResearchWater Fountainshttps://www.plumbingsupply.com/ada_pedestal_drinking_fountains.html#doubleround Geocachinghttps://www.geocaching.com/play Bike Share Research http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/programs/promote_bikeshare.cfm

Bike Commuting http://dupress.com/articles/smart-mobility-trends-bike-commuting/#sup-16http://www.somdnews.com/article/20130515/NEWS/130519522/1049/biking-to-work-gets-boost-with-annual-southern-maryland-event&template=southernMarylandSmart Commute Week Challengehttps://traversetrails.org/smart-commute/

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Signagehttp://atfiles.org/files/pdf/designbonneville.pdf Fact Sheetshttp://www.pedbikeinfo.org/data/factsheet_general.cfm http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/data/factsheet_economic.cfm

Demographics of Shelbyhttp://www.city-data.com/city/Shelby-North-Carolina.html Geocachinghttp://gpsgames.org/cgi-bin/gpswiki.pl?GeodashingIntro http://www.geocaching.com/mark/ http://gpstracklog.com/2007/01/geodashing_and_.html http://www.traillink.com/stateactivity/nc-geocaching-trails.aspx

Skate Parkhttp://www.rampandpark.com/construction.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080315231739/http://suburbanrails.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/PWDA.woa/wa/loadPage?pageId=842 http://skatetrail.com/ http://grindline.com/services/ http://www.spaskateparks.com/design-build-skateparks/ http://www.publicskateparkguide.org

Sources

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