Aug 22, 2025 By Garrett Neese 3 min read

The 34-mile Sheepskin Trail project in Fayette County is closer to completion.

The county commissioners approved multiple applications Thursday for construction funds, as well as an agreement with Fay-Penn Economic Development Council to build another section of trail.

In separate 3-0 votes, Commissioners Scott Dunn, Vincent Vicites and Harry Dutch Kaufman approved applying for two state Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside grants to fund building 4.6 miles of the trail between South Union Township and Fairchance. The cost of that section would be $3,206,956.

The two grants are similar: one directly through the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and another bundled through SPC as part of the Multimodal Pennsylvania Department of Transportation grant, said Vicites.

“If we don’t get one, hopefully we get the other,” said Dunn. “There’s also the possibility that these two grant programs could work together in some way, shape or form.”

Vicites, who also serves as vice chairman of the SPC, said he would be aggressive in seeking opportunities to find money for the Sheepskin Trail, as well as other bridges or road projects.

Another 5 miles of trail will be built by the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council. The board approved a purchase and sale agreement transferring three county-owned parcels including parts of the trail route to Fay-Penn for $1.

The transfer allows Fay-Penn to place utility lines across the properties, which Dunn said would improve the county’s infrastructure by allowing natural gas, broadband or water to be sent to or from the southern end of the county.

In return, Fay-Penn agreed to reclaim the surface areas of the property or adjacent trail properties to the standards set in the county’s 2018 feasibility study for the Sheepskin Trail.

The county is also working on a similar deal with Fay-Penn that would add about 2.5 miles of trail going north from Uniontown to North Union Township, Dunn said.

“As you see us getting grant funding for certain portions of the trail, make sure that you know that we’re also trying to work private deals to build the Sheepskin Trail,” he said.

Thursday’s resolutions put 28 miles of trail in some form of construction or preconstruction, Dunn said.

If the grant applications are successful, the county would only need two more sections to finish the trail, Dunn said: Fairchance to Smithfield and from Dunbar to the Lemont Furnace post office.

Given the time lag created by waiting to hear back on grant applications, public-private partnerships can help trail construction move faster, Vicites said.

“We’re trying to mix, look at every option and consider what’s best to get the trail on the fast track as soon as possible,” he said.

In another motion, the board approved a technical and price proposal for the preliminary engineering phase of Transportation Improvement Program projects involving the trail.

Dunn said the motion allowed the county to seek more bidders through PennDOT’s engineering cost management system.

“Of course, the more bidders you get, the lower the price,” he said. “So that’s our effort there to get more people involved in the bidding process.”