Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Town of Greater Napanee staff has been tasked with exploring different methods and the costs associated with keeping the Napanee River trail maintained for walking throughout the winter.
Greater Napanee council gave the direction to staff at their Jan. 12 meeting with a timeline of four weeks for a report to come back to council.
“We may not be in a position to maintain that boardwalk or pathway to fit the minimum maintenance standards for this year,” said councillor Terry Richardson. “Going forward I would like to see maybe a fulsome report on it to see what the costs would be and what it would take to bring the boardwalk (to a usable state throughout the winter).”
Currently the town offers no winter maintenance on the walking trail. Signs throughout the path warn walkers to use at their own risk.
Councillor John McCormack supported the idea of studying different methods to maintain the path.
“If you consider Gibbard’s down the road, there’s going to be a lot more people interested in using the trails and the parks and whatnot,” said McCormack, referencing the Gibbard District condominium project that is currently under construction on the other side of the river opposite the trail. The new construction project is slated to include a walking path on that side of the river as well. “This year we’re just in the situation that we’re in. I’d support a proper study on it.”
The research would include equipment, costs analysis, labour and a conservation study. Given the path’s proximately to the river, any substance used to melt the ice could drain into the water.
Mayor Marg Isbester called the trail along the waterfall a ‘gem’ and intends to keep pushing for a solution to keep it safe year round. She noted the question of keeping it maintained through the winter comes up every year. Her ideal solution would prevent ice from every forming on the trail in the first place.
“This pandemic, if it hasn’t shown us anything else, is that we need to as a municipality, start to be able to supply not just in town, but everywhere to look at non-motorized places for people to get out to walk safely,” said Isbester. “I would hope that when we go to put the walkway on the other side at Gibbard’s, that we wouldn’t make the same mistake that we’ve made here. I think we’re making this too complicated. There has to be some form of, whether it’s manual labour of whether it’s something you walk behind like a seed spreader. I think it needs to become not priority but it needs to become part of the process of making it usable. I’m sure there has to be some kind of solvent or artificial salt or something that has to be done. We just keep putting this off every year….next year never comes.”
Council voted unanimously on the motion to direct staff to bring a report forward for future council meeting, likely in February.