'The Great Trail' project continues down the road

COCHRANE - A lot of work has been done already to make what’s known as “The Great Trail Project” project a reality, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

That was the bare bones summary of a presentation members of the project group from the Cochrane Rotary Club made to the Town of Cochrane committee of the whole meeting on July 4.

The years-long story of what’s now commonly referred to as simply ‘The Trail’ is complicated, involving multiple layers of government, but as the Rotarians made clear at the presentation, they would not have come forward to council at this time if they weren’t confident the hurdles are navigable.

Alex Baum, the steering committee chair of the project to link Cochrane and Calgary by pathway, put things in perspective in the context of how long the project has been in the works.

“So we are a little late, but not too late. When we’re completed, we’ll be part of the world’s largest national trail network, with over 28,000 kilometres (km) coast to coast to coast, connecting our three oceans.” Baum said.

The last three pieces of the puzzle in the first stage of the project will be the trail connection from Cochrane to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, a bridge across the Bow River, and a CP Rail crossing. The stretch connecting Cochrane to the park is only about a kilometre, but will nonetheless be challenging.

Currently, portions of the trail between Calgary and Cochrane, as well as Cochrane to Canmore, remain unfinished or are not entirely usable for all mobility levels.

Stage One of the trail project seeks to organize interested Alberta residents, organizations, businesses and communities to collaborate on the completion between Calgary and Cochrane, so that it will be contiguous and ready for all to enjoy.

The Trail from Calgary to Cochrane will travel along Treaty 7 Territory, connecting with the existing Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway Trail in Calgary, through the Cochrane via a future bridge to the east of town.

While much of this pathway system exists already, it is yet to be fully connected and still requires major fundraising and logistical efforts, particularly for the construction of the pedestrian river crossing into Cochrane.

The oversight of this initiative is being coordinated by the Rotary Club of Cochrane.

Another key piece of infrastructure scheduled for ribbon-cutting in the fall will be the grand opening of the Haskayne Legacy Park in Calgary’s northwest city limits. The Haskayne park has spectacular views of grasslands, mountains and the Bow River. The park will protect the banks of the Bow River and the Bearspaw Reservoir. The Haskayne family donated land worth $5 million and millions more to build an information centre that is largely completed along with a pathway system.

Baum said their committee takes inspiration from the Haskayne Legacy Park project, which he called “a natural gathering place.”

“As active lifestyle choices continue to gain momentum, our timing now is perfect,” he said. “We will ensure accessibility and inclusion for all.”

At a Stampede breakfast at Cochrane Toyota last Friday, Baum said he was encouraged by how all the moving parts are working together.

“All the jurisdictional partners working in such close harmony, it’s kind of a neat thing,” he said, adding the City of Calgary, the province of Alberta, Rocky View County, the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Foundation, and the Town of Cochrane have all been working smoothly together.

The variety and complexity of some of the issues involved in planning and building a trail through multiple landscapes are daunting, especially for what Baum called “a community lay person” like himself.

“Slope stability, sensitive grasslands, animal management, environmental [concerns] – and all the things different jurisdictions have to deal with,” he said. “And we want the trail accessible to all, so you’re dealing with grades as well, all of that.”

At some points, the trail will be required to be a certain width to accommodate emergency vehicles, which Baum cited as another example of the types of things planners have to factor into the design.

At the council presentation earlier in the week, Baum made numerous mentions of the communications committee chomping at the bit to make announcements.

Stephen Sims, speaking on funding, said the team has raised about $600,000 to support the planning work done so far, with an additional commitment of “one to two million dollars from private donors” but the heavy lifting in that department is still down the road – or rather, trail.

That initiative will involve appeals to the federal and provincial governments, the Town of Cochrane, and private donations.

“Now we have to go out find the big money,” he said.