The Elk Valley Community Directed Funds (EVCDF) Committee has allocated $430,000 to the Elk Valley Community Trail project.
Efforts are now underway to secure matching funds through Trans Canada Trail, which if approved, would bring the total value of the project to almost $900,000.
“From the very beginning our Committee was hopeful that we could use the Community Directed Funds to support a single project that would have a lasting and notable impact on the Elk Valley. With the ability to receive matching funding from the Trans Canada Trail to develop this route through the Elk valley, we believe that we have found such a project,” said EVCDF Committee Chair Mary Giuliano.
“A quality trail system is an important component of community economic development and complements the social well-being and healthy lifestyles of Elk Valley residents. As a Committee, we are pleased to be making this strategic investment in our Valley’s recreational infrastructure.”
The RDEK, Fernie Trails Alliance, and Columbia Basin Trust will be working with the Trans Canada Trail to develop a funding agreement for the Elk Valley Community Trail project, which is proposed to connect the communities of Elko, Morrissey, Fernie, Hosmer, Sparwood and Elkford with a mostly non-motorized single-track trail. The trail will cover a distance of 150km and help connect some of the remaining gaps in the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) through the East Kootenay.
The EVCDF Program ran for three years between 2013 and 2015. The RDEK gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Columbia Basin Trust, which supports efforts and ideas of the people of the Columbia Basin.