Cyclists, joggers, hikers and cross-country skiers could soon travel between Penhold and Bowden via a proposed regional trail network.
The communities of Bowden, Innisfail and Penhold, along with Red Deer County, are exploring the possibility of creating such a trail system and an Edmonton-based consultant has prepared a report on the feasibility of building and maintaining the network.
Although a number of steps need to be taken before a finalized design of the trail system is undertaken, RC Strategies does lay out a number of proposed routes in its feasibility report for trails within the three municipalities and Red Deer County.
In Penhold, the proposed route would use an existing network of trails with the addition of roughly 2,200 metres of new paths to connect to three potential routes that would extend from Penhold through the county to Innisfail.
The first of the three connection options is a 17.8-kilometre trail from the west edge of Penhold, via Highway 592 to the Red Deer River Valley that would link to a trail at the northwest edge of the Innisfail town limits.
The second option would span 14.4 kilometres and also go from the west edge of Penhold via Highway 592 to the Calgary and Edmonton Trail, connecting to the north edge of Innisfail.
The third option would extend 8.6 kilometres from the south edge of Penhold, via Highway 2A, and connect with trails at the northwest edge of Innisfail's town limits.
Each of these routes would require approval from the province as well as negotiations with private landowners whose properties lie along these routes.
Innisfail also has an existing trail network but connections are needed to bridge gaps between the developed areas of town and the town's boundaries.
Three proposed routes spanning between roughly six and seven kilometres include a connection via Highway 2A to 50th Street and into the town's existing trail system to the south edge of Innisfail, a connection along the Calgary and Edmonton Trail from the north edge of Innisfail to Dodds Lake and into the existing network to the south edge of town and a connection along Highway 54 from the northwest edge of town to the south edge of Innisfail's town limits.
From Innisfail, there are also three proposed routes south to Bowden through the county ranging in length from 10.8 to 12.5 kilometres.
The first route would go from the south edge of Innisfail west on Cottonwood Road to Rge. Rd. 10, south to Highway 587 and then west on the highway to the northwest edge of Bowden.
The second route would also follow Cottonwood Road to Rge. Rd. 10 and then turn south on Rge. Rd. 11 to the north edge of Bowden.
The third route would follow the Canada Pacific Railway line to the northeast edge of Bowden's town limits.
Since Bowden has limited trail connections within its boundaries, the community would rely on existing parks and roadways to connect the network in the north to the south edge of the town.
Aside from the obvious health and recreation benefits, such a network could become part of the Trans Canada Trail, a system currently spanning 16,800 kilometres from Newfoundland to the West Coast, and therefore lead to increased tourism and economic development in the region, the consultants' report states.
The cost of building the trail system could range anywhere from $29,800 to more than $6.2 million depending on which route options are chosen while annual operating costs would range from $29,800 to $209,250.
Bowden, Penhold and Innisfail have “expressed an openness to be involved, to some degree, in the ownership and operations of a regional trail,” the report states.
The county, however, has indicated it is not interested in ownership of the trail system but “may be willing to invest in a shared regional trail system.”
Because most of the trail links between the communities run through the county, and because of the county's position on system ownership, the consultants state in the report that the best course of action would be for the creation of a partnership between the three municipalities with “potential volunteer/non-profit group involvement” to own and operate the trail network.
The partnership would then need to form a “trails corporation” governed by a board of directors to manage the network.
The report also lays out a series of next steps for the potential development of the trail system concept.
Each community would first need to confirm an interest in exploring the concept further and then carry out public consultation while gauging interest from groups and organizations that could be affected by the construction of the network.
From there, the communities involved would need to identify preferred trail routes and begin finding cash for building and maintaining the system.
Such money could come from the municipalities or grants from various levels of governments and organizations such as the Trans Canada Trails Foundation.
While Bowden, Innisfail and Penhold councils have looked at the consultants' report and approved it in principle, Red Deer County council is scheduled to look at the report next month.
