Ross County — One of the founders of the recreational trail that runs from Chillicothe to Washington CH spoke on behalf of the Ross County Park District to the Ross County Commissioners.
Sandra Clark, secretary of the “Tri-County Triangle Trail,” said she heard there was a chance that the commissioners might not fund the Park District, which manages the trail. She had a friendly chat with the commissioners in their April 6th, 2026 session.
Clark said she helped get the Tri-County Triangle Trail (TTT) effort going in the early 1990s. The intent was a triangle of reused abandoned railroad beds between Chillicothe, Greenfield, and Washington CH – but only the northern part was developed, which has become the Paint Valley Recreational Trail.
Among their many parks, the Ross County Park District manages the trail outside of Chillicothe (while the city manages its part inside). The district receives some funding from the county, and commissioner Oody Lowe said that they fully funded the district this year.
The park district has struggled with stream erosion of the trail in recent years in the valley east of Frankfort, and has sought grants and had to get approval from the state to be able to tackle most of the project this year.
After getting plans made and explaining them to the public, the district was awarded $1.5M last June to finally start major work this season.
Clark said she wanted to lend her support to the Ross County Park District, and was very happy with current executive director Myranda Vance. (The director of the Ross Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau has also praised the work of the district.) Clark said the TTT helped create the park district to manage the recreational trail.
The commissioners mentioned that the mayor of Frankfort has said the trail is a great benefit to the town. Clark said “Frankfort is our little heartbeat” in regards to the trail – there are many things to do there. In addition, the Austin Brewery has also been developed five miles west of Frankfort.
Clark said the Tri-County Triangle Trail has two major events on the trail – their main fundraiser, the “Cookie Ride” on the third Thursday of August, and the “Pie Ride” on the first Thursday in October.
The TTT has a website and Facebook page. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 566, which will also add you to a mailing list for their newsletter.
The Ross County Park District has a webpage and Facebook page for the Paint Valley Recreational Trail.
