As a production electrician, Mike Ward used to create Broadway shows with his team in Manhattan from scratch and saw them through to completion, no matter how challenging the projects were.
Following retirement, he put that same tenacity into building watershed trails in Port Jervis, New York, a small city with limited financial means on the eastern bank of the Delaware River.
Over the past seven years, Ward and a group of volunteers of Port Jervis Outdoor Club paved and marked 50 miles of trails in the watershed, an undertaking that cost taxpayers almost zero.
They also received private donations to develop the city’s Riverside Park, having built one of the most challenging pump tracks in the tri-state area and about to complete a new disc golf course.
Recently, Ward became involved in the effort to build a new museum at the historic turntable site, a project soon to be boosted by the $10 million state downtown revitalization grant the city just won.
“People hit me up to do things because if I commit to a project, I don’t quit,” he told The Epoch Times.
“I’ve done that with every project I’ve ever done in theater or elsewhere: if I commit to a project, I’m going to make sure it happens.”
Upon completion, almost every project the club undertook was donated to the city or the residents of Port Jervis.
Ward’s vision is to develop unused city land for recreation, which will draw visitors to eat and shop downtown, producing tax revenues for the city.
50 Miles of Trails
In 2015, Ward joined the Port Jervis Outdoor Club and got involved in developing trails in the city’s watershed.Before retirement, he used to hike to decompress from intensive theater productions. As he traveled with Broadway shows, he sought out some of the most famous trails at home and abroad.
He wanted his city to have great trails, too.
At the time, most of the watershed, though owned by the city, was restricted land, and Ward convinced the local government to open it up for recreational use, mainly hiking and biking.
He believed that trails would bring more people out to the watershed, which would rein in the illicit dumping and better protect water sources—a prediction that later came true.
In the first year, Ward and volunteers picked up over 10 tons of waste dumped in the watershed over the past decades, he said.
Primarily, volunteers followed natural trails left by animals to minimize disruptions to the natural environment; when they came upon virgin land, they would clear a path just wide enough for emergency vehicles.
Safety is top of mind in trail designs, and 130 posts with distinct numbers and police contacts were installed throughout the trails for fast-tracking in emergencies.
It took him 3 1/2 hours to dig a hole for a post, which was secured with concrete brought in by a backpack, Ward said.
Where trails are divided by water, bridges were built to connect them, which could be two simple, strong boards with shipping pallets on top or a creative reuse of discarded city materials.
Since 2015, volunteers have paved and marked 50 miles on more than 2,000 acres of land in the watershed, with several new trails in planning, including one accessible for wheelchairs.
All trails were built with materials and tools bought with club membership fees or private donations.
“When you do it yourself and pay for it yourself, you answer to yourself, and you are not having to abide by red tape,” Ward said.
“That doesn’t mean we can just go out and do it—I clear it with the mayor and city council. But what can they say about it if it doesn’t cost them anything and is of benefit to the community?”
About four years ago—following a discussion with TC Crawford, the owner of Action Bikes and Outdoor, a local bicycle and water-sports shop—Ward had an idea of a pump track as the training ground for future bikers.
Recreation Beyond Trails
Ward invited renowned bike park builder David King to design the track, which was later built inside Riverside Park with the help of volunteers and private donations; some of the money came from his own pocket.The pump track opened for use in the summer of 2019 and is the largest asphalt pump track on the East Coast and one of the most challenging in the tri-state area.
Club volunteers are building a new disc golf course next to the track, with a nearby skateboard park in the planning.
More recently, at the bidding of local resident Bill Schill, Ward got involved in educational recreation to transform the city’s historic Erie Rail Yard into a tourist attraction.
For more than a century, trains brought people, commerce, and wealth to the small industrial city before the decline of the railroad.
Last May, Ward helped to open Port Jervis Transportation Center, with exhibits, an event space, and a dining experience in a restored dining car built in 1947.
He serves as the executive director of the center and the president of the Tri-States Railway Preservation Society.
A major project on the table is to build a two-story educational center with an outdoor rooftop space near the historic railroad turntable—one of the few remaining nationwide.
The project is estimated to cost around $7 million, with $5 million already committed by a group of individuals and organizations and another $2 million likely to be covered by the state downtown revitalization grant.
In March, Port Jervis became one of 10 municipalities in the state to get a $10 million grant to revive historic downtowns.
Mayor Kelly Decker told The Epoch Times: “The Outdoor Club of Port Jervis and their volunteers are an extremely crucial part of the success of our city. Their work, whether it be an event, building trails, cleaning, or working on any of the city’s outdoor attractions, creates an atmosphere that is enjoyable for all. I am beyond words in thanking them for what they do here.”
