December 10,2020
Hi Members,
Below is GHTC ”official board submission” to the Guelph Master Trails Plan Update .
We had an opportunity to talk directly with city staff about it on Tuesday night at a “key stakeholders zoom meeting” that the city hosted.
Frankly some of our priorities are beyond the scope of the city’s jurisdiction. However we felt it important to lay out for the city where the club’s focus, as far as trail development, was directed. Having said that there are routes where our priorities and the city’s align.
Our major thrust with the city is that Guelph Hiking Trail Club wants to be an operational partner in developing and maintaining the city’s tertiary trail system.
The city seems to want that, but a tendency toward risk aversion means they are focusing on everything that can go wrong with such an arrangement instead of everything that can go right!
If you find anything in our document that resonates with you please reinforce it by telling the city. The fastest and easiest way to do this is to e-mail Tiffany.Hanna@guelph.ca directly.
If you have some other ideas or supportive landowner leads please let us know.
Wishing you the best for the holidays from your board. We look forward to reacquainting with you all in a more organized fashion sometime next year,
See you on the trails,
John Fisher (President GHTC).
OFFICIAL BOARD SUBMISSION TO THE GUELPH TRAILS MASTER PLAN UPDATE. DECEMBER 8TH 2020
GHTC BELIEFS AND MISSION
1) GHTC wants to provide Guelph citizens better access to the club’s network of trails by providing direct links from city trails and increasing the club’s presence in Guelph through the installation and management of city approved tertiary recreational trails.
GHTC PRIORITIES FOR TRAIL DEVELOPMENT
1) Development of Trails that link the 3 GHTC managed country trails to the heart of the city.
- DoLime Quarry – the update should include the City’’s stated intent to annex this property, by completing a link from Dovercliffe to the Hanlon thru this property. The quarry bridge should be utilized as part of a loop to trails along the opposite bank.
- Niska Waterfowl Park – trails along both sides of Niska (2005 plan). The Park is partially owned by the city and GRCA. Community trails exist on the property despite its “access prohibitions”.
- Yorklands connections and loops-Install a 900 ft recreational trail RRT extension through PDI adjacent to river. An underpass beneath the GJR trestle would open up to a bridge over the mouth of Clythe Creek as well as to the new trail over the Trestle cantilevers. This would connect to the GHTC managed OR Sidetrail and Radial Line Trail.
- Hanlon Creek trail – links the end of Stone Road West extension at the river to Hanlon Creek CA/Preservation Park, via the creek valley and the underpass under Hanlon Parkway. GRCA and City already own all the land .
- Wellington to Victoria Rd,
- York to Stone Rd over Clythes Creek and Eramosa river.
- Stone Rd to Arkell Rd.
- Speedvale to Woodlawn
- TCT
4) Improvement of trails that support the Official Secondary Downtown Plan as the downtown hub connects our 3 trails. City should begin negotiations with owners of property that will require access for the city to fulfill implementation of Secondary Plan now. .
GHTC can offer a strong volunteer network, experience in project management, trail installation and the ongoing maintenance of developed trails. GHTC would be a willing partner in working on any of the listed priorities for trail development that intersect with city priorities for tertiary recreational trail development.
ENHANCINGTHE TRAIL USERS EXPERIENCE
Other important elements of an updated GMPTU
John Fisher President Guelph Hiking Trail Club