With an eye on establishing a suitable connection between the east and west sides of the Hanlon Expressway, city staff is looking to enlist the assistance of a local trails club.
Ten months after city council directed staff to find an interim solution to the lack of a formal trail connection along the Speed River, a report released Friday indicates staff “will seek to enter” a third-party licence agreement with the Guelph Hiking Trails Club to do just that.
The report notes staff considered three options, including “do nothing” and put it into their workplans.
“Though it would be possible to implement an interim tertiary trail connection with staffing resources, it would need to be built into workplans in future years or be prioritized over existing workplans,” the report explains. “Due to considerable operational demands and competing priorities, if this approach was to be taken, parks staff would recommend building into workplans for future years, most likely beyond 2023.”
Staff go on to say the club has shown a “strong ability” to improve trails and linkages throughout the city.
Presented with trail project priorities last June, council elevated that project, which dates back about 20 years, to the top level of priority. The staff recommendation set it at a lower level given the complexity of work required, particularly in light of the numerous property owners, including the operating Dolime Quarry, and government agencies involved.
At that time, council directed staff to come up with an interim solution within six months as a more permanent solution could still be years away.
