After about a year, the search has finally concentrated on the old (Warwick Mine) "related info 1 2 " property north of Greensboro. A public meeting to give nearby residents a chance to comment on the idea will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Greene County Fairgrounds, Building 10.

Thus far, the plan to build an ATV trail across the property, which is owned by Duquesne Light Co., has attracted mostly support from the neighbors, according to Greene County Commissioner Scott Blair. Several adjacent property owners offered right-of-way easements so that the trail can extend across their land, he said.

Nevertheless, Blair, who has been the driving force behind the ATV trail, said Tuesday that the county is in preliminary stages of trail development. And if the trail encounters enough public opposition, it may not make it to a subsequent stage.

"I really don't know if we'll be able to get enough positive public support to justify going any further with this," Blair said.

If the plan does come to fruition though, Blair said that Greene County will hold a strong source of economic development in an area that really needs it.

"That site really has a lot of potential," he said. "And I know that if we could just do it, and build the trail, it would be a huge economic boon to the county."

Places for people to legally enjoy their ATVs, which have swelled in popularity in recent years, are scarce throughout the state. Allegheny National Forest in Central Pennsylvania touts an expansive network of ATV trails. As a result, restaurants, camping facilities, hotels and other businesses have opened in significant numbers to cash in on the ATV riders, Blair said.

While the proposed ATV trail in Greene County is being planned on a much smaller scale, the commissioner said that a similar type of progress should happen here.

In recent years, the state Department of Community and Economic Development has tried to take the emphasis for ATV trail development away from the state and national forests and into the hands of municipalities, counties and other bodies. The department supplemented their encouragement with several grants, which are funded through registration fees incurred annually against owners of ATVs and snowmobiles.

Last year, Greene County received its share of the money - $80,000 for feasibility studies - mainly to determine where the trail should be located.

The county initially considered the West Greene area as a viable place to build the ATV trail. In November 2001, commissioners purchased over 83 acres near Ryerson Station State Park, for the purpose of building an ATV facility.