At Monday evening's meeting, council approved a donation of $15,000 to the Elliot Lake XC Ski and Bike Club to purchase materials for an improvement project on the Spine to Spruce Beach Trail.
Director of Recreation and Culture, Kari Kluke, reported that the club has “a plan to start to address some of the accessibility needs with the overgrowth that has happened in this trail and some of the unsafe and required maintenance that's required to get down on the trail.”
The club previously shared their plan with the Accessibility Advisory Committee in May.
Kluke noted that the club, “met with staff to address this project. And staff have worked with them and the MNR to ensure that it is in compliance with the maintenance that's required to move forward."
"And the last step is getting the required materials to complete this project.”
The donation is for sand, gravel and other materials that will be required.
“Their intentions are to remove some of the boardwalks that are unnecessary, to fill it with gravel, to insert culverts where there's running streams, and then just put the gravel over it and they'll address any required boardwalks.”
Mechanized equipment will be operated by “their volunteers [who] are qualified and trained professionals with this equipment.” And the club will be covered under their trail maintenance insurance, Kluke told the council and assembled residents.
Describing the plan as “a great thing,” Couns. Rick Bull commented that the improvements “will make this trail more accessible to a lot more people.”
Couns. Charles Flintoff said, “I've been walking that trail for years, and it's a beautiful trail, and it's overdue for some maintenance.” He added, that the club is “going to step up for all the labour, is really fantastic.”
Mayor Andrew Wannan commented, “I can't think of a better place to put [the donation] than to get that trail safer and more people will be using it.”
He described the volunteer’s work and the city staff working with them, “a win-win.”
Wannan described the program as, "something that we tried to nurture from the start and I do thank all involved with the Cross-Country Ski and Bike Club."
"It's been difficult to navigate some of the old ways and to find a method that works, that allows volunteers to come back and help out the community.”
“I am very appreciative of the fact that they are doing this, and I'm very appreciative of city staff, and finding a method and a way that we can get back to good volunteerism in our community.