On the other hand, he said, the society is a small group with limited funds. Bleichrodt doesn't want to see the society overwhelmed by the wants of larger groups involved in the project or see the society lose its independence. The focus of the project is to create a major tourist attraction with hiking and biking trails between new and existing facilities, such as the restored Chidester Mill in Rogues Hollow. That's why we're in this. He said representatives of ICON Architecture Inc. of Boston contacted him several months ago for information.
ICON is the firm that is coordinating creation of the corridor management plan.
That plan is designed to lay out a strategy for telling the story of the canal and its significance to the state of Ohio. Projecting into the next 10 years supporters see the completed project as something that will attract 2.4 million visitors annually. The hollow's link to the canal was the tram roads that carried coal mined in the hollow to the canal in nearby Clinton for shipping. Bleichrodt said he understands part of the project would link Rogues Hollow to Anna Dean Farms in Barberton with a bike trail. But he said he has not been able to learn many details about the specifics of the plan at this point.