Summit County is home to an existing 55-mile countywide recreation path that is utilized by an estimated 500,000 people each year. This recreation path is a primary amenity supporting the county’s resort economy and the valued “quality of life” that attracts visitors and residents alike. The missing segment of this recreation path system is the section over Swan Mountain. This section has been left until last because of the difficulty of the terrain and the subsequent construction access issues that will cause it to be an expensive project. It is also the most important section because it will offer cyclists and others an alternative to sharing the narrow, winding and busy Swan Mountain Road with motorized vehicle traffic. Because of the size and cost of this project, the proposed Swan Mountain Recreation Path has been divided into four phases – each section is designed to stand alone until the others are constructed and connected. The Friends of Swan Mountain recreation path, a group of local volunteers convened and organized by the NWCCOG Foundation, initially focused its fundraising efforts on the Lowry Section, which was completed and opened to the public in August 2007. The group is now raising funds to cover the construction costs of the second phase – the Sapphire Section – which will connect the new Lowry Section to Sapphire Point via a 10-foot wide, paved path separated from the existing road. To date combined efforts between the public and private sectors have raised over $2 million for the Lowry Section and $1,753,000 of the $1.9 million required for the Sapphire Section. Construction of the second phase is likely to begin in 2009.