Update on trail plans slated

FORT FRANCES—A public meeting regarding plans for local walking and biking trails, also known as the “active transportation plan,” will be held next Tuesday (Oct. 23) at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Sports Centre conference room.
Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft, chair of the Trail Network Steering Committee, said Tuesday the meeting is a follow-up from the initial one held in June, 2006, at which time residents were asked for input as to what they would want to see in a trail network within Fort Frances.
“From that, we took a lot of their input and gave it to our consultant [Hilderman, Thomas, Frank and Cram] which we had hired,” noted Coun. Wiedenhoeft.
“They spent the summer analyzing the best possible routes that could connect east and west, north and south, schools and parks,” he added.
“The report they’re presenting us on [Oct. 23] is going to be an indication of what they’ve come up with so far, as far as how they see the trails best being developed.
“It will also include things like where it crosses public land and where it crosses private land, where construction will have to be done, and where we can use roadways that exist already,” Coun. Wiedenhoeft added.
“It’s really an update on the study they’ve done.”
Coun. Wiedenhoeft said next Tuesday’s meeting will be another opportunity for the public to give their input on this version of the plans.
“We don’t want to take just one input from the public and go ahead with this,” he stressed. “I would think we want to take what they present to us and then have more public input as to what modifications need to be done to suit local needs.
“Then it will probably go back to the consultants again for a final draft.
“My vision is a link between east and west, north and south, all the parks, all the schools within a trail system,” explained Coun. Wiedenhoeft. “My vision is that people can access the waterfront and the parks, all areas of the town, safely, on bike paths or walking paths.
“But there other visions, too,” he added. “People came to that other public meeting and said, ‘This is what I’d like to see.’ All those things were taken down in notes.
“I’m looking forward to see what they come up with on the 23rd.”
The objectives of the active transportation plan include:
•to develop a plan for continuous park land and a trail system throughout the community;
•to provide linkages between the waterfront and the community’s north and west end residential areas; and
•to identify the needs for parkland development and identify redundant parks.
This plan is compatible with other initiatives the town is doing in the downtown area and along the riverfront, such as the ongoing Heritage Tourism Plan.
The idea of a trail network for Fort Frances stems back to 2004 when the town’s recreation advisory committee sent out a survey to residents asking them what they thought the town needed in terms of recreation options and improvements.
The number-one priority identified was to develop a trail strategy.
Then a public meeting regarding a trail system was held back in June, 2006.
Last November, council accepted a proposal for an active transportation plan from consultants Hilderman, Thomas, Frank and Cram.
The cost of the study ($20,000) was covered mainly by a “Communities in Action” grant for $16,000 the town has received from the Ministry of Health Promotion.
The $4,000 balance was paid out of town reserves.
When the whole process started, Coun. Wiedenhoeft admitted he initially thought the town would have a trail system by now. But, in fact, making the plan a reality probably will take a couple more years.
“It takes time. You have to do things right,” he stressed. “That’s what all this is all about—making sure we have all our ducks in a row, and doing it right the first time so we don’t have to redo it in the future.”
Active transportation is defined as “any human-powered mode of transportation,” such as cycling, walking, jogging, in-line skating, skateboarding, ice-skating or cross-country skiing.
Using active transportation results in a cleaner environment and a healthier community.
Fort Frances having such a trail system would help improve the health of its residents, increase quality of life, enhance the tourism experience, and achieve other environmental and socio-economic benefits.
(Fort Frances Times)