Work on a proposed pedestrian path, connecting five Shenango Valley communities, was slated to begin this spring. However, construction probably won't begin until 2004, said Dan Gracenin, assistant director of the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission.

Plans are still in the works to connect Farrell, Sharon, Hermitage Sharpsville and Wheatland to commercial areas by way of a pedestrian trail but that work takes time, Gracenin said.

"We will probably go through the summer before something is done with that. But we could potentially see construction next year. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a basic project. We can't just build a trail down the center of all these communities," Gracenin said.