The Elora – Cataract Trailway Association held their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday afternoon, March 22, at the Victoria Park Seniors Centre.
Chairman, Raymond Soucy, as well as the rest of the board, were thrilled with the turnout of about 50 interested people indicating strong support for the priceless gem of a trail.
Another reason behind the attendance was guest speaker, Doug Cerson of West Montrose.
Cerson is executive director of the Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Trail.
Depending on one’s perspective, trail works either east or west bound.
The trail has been in the planning and preliminary development stages for more than 20 years and will extend the Kissing Bridge Trail (Guelph to West Montrose) to Millbank and Blythe and eventually Goderich, a total of 127 km.
The former CPR corridor is in generally good condition with the rail-bed requiring only a good grading, some culvert replacements and brush trimming along the right of way.
Cerson stated that the greatest obstacles are the need for new bridges over the Grand River, Conestogo and Maitland rivers.
Grassroot support and possible partnerships are building in the communities adjacent to the trail where the residents are recognizing possible economic impact when completed.
The village of Millbank has raised thousands of fundraising dollars to build their bridge.
The 127 km. length of the G2G, plus the various connecting trails, is creating great interest among trail enthusiasts looking to weekend events. The rail trails are ideal, with the 3% max. grade, for traversing the natural beauty of the mid- western Ontario agricultural and small town landscape.
The AGM agenda of the of the Elora-Cataract Trailway Assn. contained several reports of board plans and projects underway. Jeff Gardiner reported on the installation of trail counters at Gerrie Rd. in Elora, Gartshore St. in Fergus and at Belwood. The infrared counters monitor the trail usage which can then be uploaded to the TRAFX website. The info aids in planning trail resources and placement of outhouses.
Gail Brown discussed the new signage that will be installed in the near future. To-date, there hasn’t been any intersection identification where the trail crosses any county or township roads. Persons un-familiar with the area could become dis-oriented or lost. The ECTA, GRCA and CVCA will share the $4500.00 signage cost to make the trail more user friendly. Efforts will be made to improve trailway marking through Fergus.
Soucy reported that a new web-cam is about to be installed on one of the Osprey / Great Horned Owl stands near the Shand Dam.
When the system is up and running, a person will just have to log on to the link: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/46/great horned owls and monitor the nest activity.
Soucy stated that it is the mandate of the ECTA to “promote”, “improve”, and “protect” the 47 km trail and surrounding environment.
Volunteers and new members are always welcome. Membership is currently near 200 persons. For further information, e-mail: info@trailway.org.
