Happy Trails

Council receives update on Millennium Trail upgrade project

With spring weather comes another season of Millennium Trail upgrades. Barry Davidson, chair of the Trails Improvement Ad-Hoc Committee, updated council on the group’s plans for 2019 at Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

Last year, in a short six-week time span, seventeen kilometres of the Millennium Trail had been refurbished, a section that stretches from west of Bloomfield to the trail end at County Road 49, and includes a spur to Lake Street near the LCBO store in Picton. The upgrade project was led by Barry Davidson with support from an ad hoc Millennium Trail Committee. Central to the success of the project was the work of dozens of volunteers who spent three weekends removing brush that had grown in along the edges of the trail, as well as trimming overhead branches to provide clearance for heavy machinery.

This year, the Trail Committee will embark on a section of the trail starting in Hillier and heading west to Carrying Place. On that stretch, the Millennium Trail crosses through two provincially significant wetlands—Hubbs Creek and Slab Creek. Hubbs Creek tends to flood each fall, while Slab Creek has been underwater for two years, due to beaver dams alongside the trail, which are on private property. Davidson says the committee needs to decide how to upgrade the trail through these wetlands. “The whole project will be completed by the end of this year. We will get started out doing the easy part from Hillier to Carrying Place which is pretty much straight trail. Between now and the fall we have to decide what to do in the wetlands. Whatever we decide to do, we won’t do any construction until the end of September to October when the nesting season is over and the activity of wildlife is at its lowest.” Davidson told council that the Trail Committee is meeting with Quinte Conservation in the near future to see what is possible through the wetlands.

Barry Davidson stands at the end of the recently resurfaced Millennium Trail at County Road 49, just east of Picton last fall.

Davidson also noted that approximately seven locations that are directly adjacent to the trail have been identified as possible launch points for trail users. These locations are owned by the County and will provide parking. The intent is to construct a gravel lot maximizing the space available at each location. “Part of what we want to do is to make parking lots at convenient places along the trail,” said Davidson. He also noted that currently, at some locations, trail users park on the side of the road. The first location they would like to work on is the lot beside the LCBO in Picton. An anonymous donor has given funds to add a kiosk and bicycle stand at the location.

In addition to the launch points, Davidson presented a concept for signage, both for safety on highways, and as markers on the trail. “Signage is obviously very important. Safety signs on the trail saying you are coming up to a road, and signs on the road telling motorists they are approaching a trail,” said Davidson. There will also be trail marker signage available for donors of $1,000 to the PEC Trails fundraising campaign. Each donor will have a kilometre marker fabricated with their name and installed at a designated location along the trail.

In 2017 the PEC Trails community group raised over $123,000 toward plans for rehabilitation of the trail. The municipality committed $370,000 over three years and there was also an $118,000 Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Grant, as well as a TD Friends of the Environmental Fund Grant in the amount of $15,000 to be used in the wetlands. The 2019 rehabilitation budget is $434,075. Funds left over, Davidson said, could go toward touching up the first upgrade area in Wellington, as it has started to need some maintenance.

Davidson reminded council that the cost per kilometre in 2018 came in at $10,930.09, versus the lowest tender price of $26,760 per kilometre, plus HST. An ad-hoc committee was formed, composed of four members of the PEC Trail Committee, one from the snowmobile club and two County staff. Davidson told council that the group would be able to repair the Hillier to Carrying Place portion of the trail, which is roughly 15 kilometres, for $10,930.09 per kilometre, but the wetland portion could cost more.

Councillor Jamie Forrester congratulated Davidson on what his group has been able to accomplish, but he had a main concern, which was hand brushing of the trail. “I think it was six years ago now, the snowmobile club spent $10,000 mechanically brushing, and in five years it has grown in past what we started out at. One of my main concerns for council is the cost of maintaining this trail long term, and the sustainability of hand brushing this trail long term,” said Forrester. Davidson confirmed that the group was aiming to have the trail all hand brushed at the end of this year.

Forrester went on to ask staff if there is a standard distance for a brushing setback on the trail, and if the volunteer group couldn’t meet the standard, if it could be mechanically brushed.

County Project Manager Garrett Osborne also told council that a decision has not been made for a formal brushing setback on the trail and that they needed to be mindful that the trail has more than one use. “The trail serves also as an important utility or servicing corridor for the municipality,” said Osborne. “It’s not just a recreational trail. We do have watermain infrastructure, there is hydro infrastructure, there is Cogeco fibre optic cable, and most likely, depending on developments through Wellington, the trail could be used as a very valuable servicing corridor in order to support further development.” Osborne went on to say that the volunteers and their efforts also need to be respected. “If the committee goes ahead and brushes the section this year west of Wellington, it probably wouldn’t be smart to go ahead and mechanical brush that immediately after that was completed. I feel that could be a little disrespectful to the volunteers, so maybe that section could be held off to a further point.”

The volunteer group will begin work on the trail in the coming weeks.