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Volunteers clear brush along Millennium Trail east of Bloomfield

Rebecca Lamb trims an overhanging branch on a section of the Millennium Trail east of Bloomfield.

With County council giving the green light for the ad hoc trail committee to take over the refurbishment of the Millennium Trail, work has begun in preparation for resurfacing. About a dozen volunteers convened on Saturday morning where the trail crosses Stanley Street in Bloomfield for a safety presentation by Barry Davidson. This was required in order for the volunteers to be covered under the County’s liability insurance. Davidson described some of the hazards that may be encountered along the trail, such as poison ivy and toxic wild parsnip, and the precautions that should be taken. He stressed the need to be cautious when using sharp-edged tools and also advised on the proper technique for removing vines that are entangled with overhead branches. The volunteers were tasked with clearing shrubs and overhanging branches from a one-metre wide strip on either side of the current trail, which itself is about two metres wide. This will allow the passage of heavy machinery that will be used to lay down an 11-foot wide limestone surface. The volunteers were grouped into four teams, and each team was responsible for clearing approximately one kilometre of the trail. For these dedicated volunteers, this amounted to over three hours of hot and sweaty work on a humid summer Saturday.

The current plans call for the trail to be resurfaced from where it crosses Highway 33 east of Wellington to where it meets Lake Street in Picton. “A team of volunteers cleared the trail from Highway 33 to Bloomfield last week,” said Davidson on Saturday morning. “We want to clear the brush along the trail which constitutes four kilometres from downtown Bloomfield to County Road 1.” The first phase will see the trail west of Bloomfield resurfaced starting as early as September 6. After that, the four-kilometre stretch east of Bloomfield will be resurfaced. “Phase 3 will be from County Road 1 to Picton, including the spur that goes behind Canadian Tire to [Highway] 33, and a very small spur that goes off to the right hand side to Upper Lake Street. We want cyclists to be able to come off the trail and head off towards Sandbanks without going on Lake Street, because there’s a lot of traffic,” added Davidson.

Trails committee vice-president Vincent de Tourdonnet, sees this project as a watershed in the way things are done in the County, when it comes to volunteer organizations. “This is kind of historic in a way because council committed to this project some time ago, but was unable to get it done because of budgetary and staffing constraints,” he said. “They’ve given permission to a bunch of volunteers to start this work.” While the section of the trail in the Wellington area was refurbished through volunteer efforts, this project provides a more formal connection between the volunteers and the County. It is expected to be a cost-effective approach to rehabilitating the trail, especially when compared to the lowest commercial tender that came in at double what the County had anticipated. The actual cost of the project will be closely monitored by the ad hoc committee. Several companies will be providing their services, and the committee will have an interim cost per kilometre following the completion of the first phase west of Bloomfield.

The volunteers who came out to help were all regular users of the trail, and were eager to see improvements to the surface. Rebecca Lamb frequently cycles along the trail. “I’m helping out because I love using the Millennium Trail,” she said. “I’m very lucky to live near it in Picton, so it’s a great way to get to Bloomfield or, if I’m feeling energetic, all the way to Wellington. Riding the trail with my bicycle helps me avoid using the car, skip the traffic and enjoy a little time outside.” She jumped at the chance to help clear brush from the trail. “I think that utilizing the community to get things done is something that’s a bit under-leveraged. There’s a lot of willing people out there, but I think they need someone to organize them and tell them about the opportunities to get involved. I think there are a lot more who are ready and willing to pitch in to help make things right in their backyard.”