Black Diamond residents have another reason to celebrate Canada’s 150th after a fund honouring the milestone resulted in another 558 metres of paved trail.
The Town of Black Diamond is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony July 1 at 10 a.m. to celebrate the Canada 150 pathway that connects trails in the Bob Lochhead Memorial Campground and Riverwood subdivision in the town’s southwest.
The Canada 150 fund covered half the cost of the asphalt pathway, which includes a 15.5-metre bridge with railings. The remaining $78,297 came from the Town’s parks and recreation reserve account. Construction took place earlier this month.
“We wouldn’t have done it without the Canada 150 grant as it would have been too expensive,” said Black Diamond Mayor Glen Fagan. “It was a fairly expensive piece but it was a safety issue and we just needed to address that.”
A ceremony will be held at the pathway’s bridge, which crosses the overflow for a dry pond that collects water from heavy rainfall and drains into the river.
Fagan said the path offers safer access to the area.
“We have a continuous path to the neighbourhood where, before, people had to migrate around this drainage area,” he said. “It would have been difficult for those with mobility issues.”
Fagan said he’s pleased the trail is complete and ready for Canada Day.
“There are lots of people already riding bicycles and walking their dogs on it from all age groups,” he said. “It was obviously something that has been waited upon. It is well used.”
Les Quinton, parks and recreation manager, said the pathway is a great addition to the town.
“It gets you closer to nature so you’re not walking on the edge of traffic,” he said. “It’s a nicer walk overlooking the river valley and mountains rather than along a sidewalk overlooking homes and buildings.”
Quinton said the Town uses a master pathway plan to set standards for trail construction to ensure a long life, including a weed barrier, compacted gravel and applying a specific amount of asphalt, he said.
“There has to be guidelines to make sure the pathway isn’t going to fall apart,” he said. “If it isn’t done properly you could have spots where it could sink or break apart or weeds could grow through the pathway.”
At 2.5 metres wide, the path can accommodate multiple types of access including bicycles, strollers and wheelchairs, said Quinton.
The new path provides direct access to Erma Joy Brown Park beside the Oilfields Regional Arena, which contains an outdoor fitness park, skateboard park and bicycle pump track that’s scheduled to be open this summer.
The pathway is already getting a lot of traction, said Quinton.
“It’s been very well used, even before it got paved,” he said. “It’s used every day.”
