Mike Franko speaks during the Shaffer Walking Trail opening and dedication ceremony on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at Butler County Community College's main campus. Butler Eagle File Photo

Outdoor enthusiasts had a reason to check out Butler County Community College’s main campus after April 2013, when the college opened its 1-mile blacktop-covered Shaffer Walking Trail.

The trail’s presence was “very much tied into” the college's goals of promoting physical education, beautification of the campus and making a safe place to recreate, said Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president at the time.

The trail snakes around the hilltop campus, offering quiet places to rest on a bench or view the surrounding country. Each of the eight benches, as well as several concrete bollards, would be marked by plaques noting donors who contributed $500 or more to the project.