INNISFAIL – Members of the Rotary Club of Innisfail are true heroes.
More specifically, they are trail heroes for their years of quiet and humble advocacy, fundraising and physical labour the service club did to enhance the 2.3-kilometre trail around Napoleon Lake.
On Sept. 14 at an official public ribbon-cutting ceremony at Centennial Park, which included a free barbecue at the cookhouse, Rotary was presented with an Alberta Trail Hero 150 Award from Alberta TrailNet in recognition of Canada 150, a one-time provincial award to citizens who have contributed to recreational trails within Alberta.
For the past four years, Rotary and the Town of Innisfail partnered to plan and implement several vital trail enhancements around the lake, which will now be called Napoleon Lake Rotary Trail. The total cost of the improvements was about $92,000, with two-thirds picked up by Rotary and the rest by the town.
Heather Kirkham, president of the Rotary Club, said the service club was honoured with the award, emphasizing it added credibility to the project.
“With the mutual partnership with the town it just validated that the town was willing to work in partnership to make a better community,” she said. “For the community it adds viability. It is something the community can be proud of. To be part of that also makes you feel even that much better, and the fact that it shows that people care. It is not all about development and building houses and businesses, and taking away something that is irreplaceable.”
The three-phase trail improvement project included enhanced perimeter pathways by widening old trail sections, installation of two drainage culverts to prevent trail washout, construction of two wooden viewing platforms, construction of a boardwalk leading to the viewing platforms at the lake's southwest and northwest corners, connecting existing asphalt trails at the southwest viewing platform, and installation of new benches and receptacle bins.
Henry Wong, the town's director of community services, noted the trail around the lake is about 2.3 kilometres, with the paved section now 1,176 metres in length and the nature tail slightly longer at 1,179 metres. He said the upgrades included the paving of about 150 metres during the summer of 2016.
“The trail in its original state was one well-worn groove along the trail. We have since widened it with grass cutting and we brought in a contractor who mulched it up in order to level it out a bit,” said Wong, adding his department is committed to the nature trail's improved ongoing maintenance. “It is an opportunity for people to escape into nature for a short period of time. To walk 1,100 metres from one end to another takes you out of the regular day-to-day stuff.”
And the enhancement work by Rotary is far from over. Kirkham said while the service club's financial contribution up to now has been through fundraising, members will continue to advocate for the future health and beauty of the lake and trail with new initiatives, ones that could be supported, at least in part, through provincial grants.
“As we continue on with this legacy project we are kind of creating a living document that is going to be with a partnership and with Rotary. Every year we are going to look to do enhancements to it,” she said, adding improvements could include another viewing platform and way signage. “Once we create that document then we have a goal and a plan on an ongoing basis and then we can take advantage of maximizing some government grants.”
Heather Kirkham, president of the Rotary Club of Innisfail
"As we continue on with this legacy project we are kind of creating a living document that is going to be with a partnership and with Rotary. Every year we are going to look to do enhancements to it."
