Elk Point Chamber of Commerce devoted their Nov. 17 meeting to rounding up a number of local recreational walking enthusiasts and tracking down their input on the town’s proposed network of pedestrian trails.
Town manager Myron Goyan handed out copies of a proposal he had written regarding trails, listing priorities and issues of concern and including aerial photos of the town and adjoining area with potential trails marked in.
The priorities included cleaning up the wooded and creek areas that run through town and the creek and ravine between the Elk Point Recreation Park and the north cemetery, ensuring back alleys are graveled, adding more crosswalks in residential areas, replacing deteriorating sidewalks, installing bicycle stands in the downtown area, building pedestrian bridges in the Centennial subdivision and across an area known locally as ‘Frog Pond’ and building sets of stairs on the hills in the Atimoswe Creek valley leading from the road near the north cemetery to the road between the south cemetery and Recreation Park. The bridges and walkways would provide scenic access to the park and golf course and to the ‘loop’ south and west of town where many residents currently walk for exercise. Paving of part of the Iron Horse Trail in town could also be part of the plan.
The proposal netted the town a $500,000 provincial grant for trail development, to be spent over five years along with a matching amount from the town and other sources, which could include donations in kind.
Goyan said a subcommittee of the town’s Economic Development Committee “came up with a proposal of internal trails,” which was showcased at the 2008 Information Night. “None of these plans are written in stone except the Iron Horse Trail.”
To date, some surveying and engineering studies have taken place on the areas in the proposal.
Town council will be having a stakeholders meeting in January 2011 to gather community input on the trails, Goyan said, “then we have to get going on it.”
Economic development coordinator Bob Bezpalko praised the efforts of Sue Campbell, who was part of the subcommittee, and who “did a lot of great work,” which Goyan said included “taking a tremendous lot of pictures and indicating ideas for site development on them.”
Bezpalko is looking at the Elk Point Visitor Information Centre as a focal point of the trails and has suggested trails to the mural and other local points of interest, special street signage and historical markers as a way to direct visitors around our “safe, caring community.”
Town Coun. Dwayne Yaremkevich pointed out that one of the first steps would be to get approval from the County of St. Paul for the development on the hillsides adjacent to the creek, and from MuniCorr to pave a portion of the Iron Horse Trail.
Walker Dorie Duchendorf noted that a minimum five-kilometer trail would be needed to stage events. She also noted that she prefers not to walk along the highway, due to potential danger. She would like to see the ‘loop’ closed to traffic, however that could not be done because it is a truck route leading to the elevator. “Put the money into something good fort the future, even if you have to do it in phases,” Shirley Harms added. “Whatever we put in, we need to put in properly.” Side trails “might not be paved” but could still be very useable, she noted, “and we absolutely want to use the river” as an attraction, even if trails extending to it are well in the future.
“We need to get people with a vested interest to help make a plan bigger than we need right now,” Harms added.
Melanie Poulin looked to future development south of the staging area, noting, “we need to be forward thinking and include it in our plans.” The trail to the golf course, she noted, should be the first priority. Fixing sidewalks “so they are more even” and developing a northern loop that includes the Peter Fidler statue were also on her wish list.
A trail around the perimeter of the town could be an asset to the community “and could be worked into future subdivisions,” Goyan agreed. The berm along the south perimeter of the mobile home subdivision is wide enough to accommodate a walking trail, he acknowledged.
A snowmobile trail already exists in that area, and there could be a potential for a walking trail nearby, Duchendorf noted. Signage, a dog park and even a park with a fishpond were also suggested.
“The snowmobile group took the initiative on that,” Bezpalko said. “They did the existing work and established trails to get out of town. We’ll have to see if we can work together with them.” Others at the meeting felt this could work and even that it would be “a natural progression.”
“We need to bring the stakeholders together and work together,” Harms agreed.
It was suggested that the group of walkers get together with Campbell and plan the stages of development for presentation at the January stakeholders’ meeting.
“We’ve got to have a grandiose plan,” Harms said. “We have great natural assets in the greenery and the creek that would lend themselves to a beautiful trail, and we can incorporate the river. It’s time to start. A trail system is a terrific future asset, and we all have a vested interest in Elk Point.”
Bezpalko suggested, “utilizing the river as a traffic vehicle. Heinsburg is doing a lot of work and so are the forts. Just because things aren’t happening right now, we never know what could happen in 36 months. Let’s let the mayor and council and Myron know what our wishes are.”