By Mark Squibb / August 25, 2023
Bay Balls council last week voted to rubber stamp an email vote it had conducted on August 4 to cancel funding from the federal government for improvements to the Long Pond walking trail. The vote to cancel the project passed unanimously.
Walking enthusiasts need not be alarmed though — council only cancelled the funding deal to take advantage of money available through a partnership with the provincial government.
Council will share in the cost of the Phase II improvements, which are estimated to total some $534,047. The Town will be on the hook for $193,717 of that with the Province borrowing to pay the rest.
“It’s great to see us get this approval,” said Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien. “We’ve been pushing hard and working hard to try and get this agreement… We’re moving froward on the remainder of the Long Pond trail. Phase 2 will complete the loop. Once we have the design a tender will be released in short order.”
The trail follows the contour of the pond as much as possible, with a bridge crossing the pond at one point.
The details of the cancelled deal with Ottawa were not specified in the meeting, although councillor Corey Ronanye noted that Bay Bulls would have had to take a long-term loan to make the payment.
Phase I of the project was cost shared by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments under a Municipal Capital Works program, with each government paying a third of the cost, which works out to $143,702 each for a total of $475,444, less HST.
