BORA member Matt Preston says the remaining funds will be spent building boardwalks. (Facebook/Town of La Ronge)

By Derek Cornet

expansion

La Ronge trail project completed, new signs to be installed in coming weeks

May 20, 2022 | 2:45 PM

A $240,000 upgrade and expansion to the trail system in La Ronge has been completed many months ahead of schedule.

“We thought we were going to potentially go until July or something like that of this year, but we actually completed it all in 2021,” Boreal Outdoor Recreation Association (BORA) member Matt Preston said. “There is a very small amount of money left over that the town has essentially pledged as their in-kind contribution towards the grant. All of those funds will be spent on a couple of boardwalks that need to be completed to finish off the last trail we did called Mōswa, which is the new trail over by Elks Fairgrounds.”

The project was made possible through funding in 2021 that came from the federal and provincial governments, as well as town council. The feds contributed $96,000, the province $80,000 and $64,000 was committed by the town.

Preston noted nearly seven kilometres of trails were either upgraded or built, including 1.3 km of new trail. Also, the Maskwa Trail has been completed and is now a six-foot wide walking/biking path that goes from Morley-Wilson Park to the snow dump along Riese Drive.

The Pāspāscīs Trail has been completely resurfaced with crushed gravel and the Āhāsiw Trail was excavated and smoothed out.

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“The project turned out a little differently just due to shifting priorities of the work and the decision to create the new trail there that I mentioned,” Preston said. “It helps to separate motorized and non-motorized traffic in that zone and gives a good loop for the dog walkers.”

A community barbecue will be held June 9 in support of BORA. (Facebook/Boreal Outdoor Recreation Association)

In the next few weeks, high-quality lexan trail maps will be installed at locations throughout the trail system. They are on a Google Maps satellite background to assist hikers in determining their location. A red dot will mark the spot where the sign is located.

Other trail markers in the Cree language were installed along the trail earlier this year. They include the name of the trail and an image of the associated animal. La Ronge artist Donna Langhorne was hired to create the images in that project.

“Previously, BORA has put up a wide number of signs and trail markers and, in some spots, they have just been completely removed and destroyed and in other spots they have been there for several years,” Preston said. “My hope is people see the value in them and they see that it is a positive thing and they don’t want to vandalize them.”

Finally, Preston wanted to remind the public about an upcoming fundraiser June 9 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Lake Country Co-op Food Store in La Ronge. The event is a community barbecue hosted by Co-op and burgers and drinks will be served with a minimum $5 donation.

Each donation will earn a submission for a draw for two new bikes donated by Preston Trail Consulting. All funds raised will benefit BORA.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno