Outgoing trail commission chairman says he's pleased with team accomplishments

Outgoing Francis Marion Trail Commission chairman Ben Zeigler said the commission’s accomplishments thus far have been a team effort.

“We knew from the beginning that it would be a long-term project,” he said. “I’m most pleased about the great team that we’ve had with commissioners from all over the Lowcountry and Pee Dee.”

He said Francis Marion University President Fred Carter “has really taken an interest in this as a concept.”

“Fred has worked hard as a trail commissioner and really added a tremendous amount of value to what we have done,” Zeigler said.

Zeigler also lauded the hard work of “a great network” of local people interested in history and economic development and everything in between.

“This network has really been the boots on the ground to get this project to move forward,” he said. “I think we’ve developed a good organization on the ground. This has been one of the best sort of collaborative team efforts I’ve ever been involved in.”

Zeigler, a Florence attorney, has served since the trail commission was formed in 2003. Mark Buyck III, the new chairman, will take over in January.

“I can’t think of anyone better to lead the trail project forward from this point than Mark,” Zeigler said in an earlier interview. “With our master plan in place, the challenge the trail commission will face will be more logistical than conceptual, and Mark has a skill set that makes him ideal for this task.”

The Jaeger Co. was selected last year to undertake the master plan. The plan is based on archeological resource and existing and potential infrastructure, recommended trail sites and routes, as well as standards for facilities and interpretation.

Zeigler said his decision to step down in the interest of the long-term viability and success of the trail “was with the idea that someone like Mark would assume the helm and guide the project using a different set of skills and strengths than I possess.

“As shown by his work leading the development of the Florence Stockade over this past decade, Mark has significant experience in just this sort of project implementation,” he said. “And at a time when the commission will need to work to restore state funding that we lost in this year’s state budget crisis, his political prominence and connections will be invaluable. He is also a very patient and deliberate person who I think will keep the project moving forward at an appropriate pace.

“The focus will shift to local planning and implementation through regional development committees. There will be less ‘top down,’ centralized planning with a focus on local and private sector funding. And we need to restore state funding and establish ‘brand’ development.”

Zeigler said the bottom line is, the project has to be done carefully and correctly. Fifteen sites have been identified.

“The trail commission has done its most important work now that the sites have been identified,” he said. “Now we’re going to have to turn to these local governments, towns and cities to work with us to help make this a reality.”

The Francis Marion Trail project’s purpose is to identify, locate, interpret and develop sites relating to Gen. Francis Marion. This includes his campaigns in the Pee Dee, Midlands and Lowcountry. These sites will be used as a basis for the development of a heritage tourism trail in those areas.

The project was launched by a private group in 2003, and the concept was developed in 2004. A commission was created by the state General Assembly in June 2005. Archeology work began in February 2006.

Zeigler majored in English at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., while taking all the history courses he could fit in. He received a master’s in English from Oxford in England before going to law school.