To the editor:
I have been a resident of Lake Country for 18 years. During this time I have been self-employed as a project manager for outdoor recreation facility development, working on all of the rail trails throughout B.C. I have managed over $26 million worth of projects on these trails including the reconstruction of the Myra Canyon Trestles. I want to address the fears of some people that taxpayers will be paying directly through municipal taxes for the development and day-to-day operation of the [proposed] Lake Country rail trail.
During my time in project management on these trails, matching funds and partnerships have worked in so many ways. For example, in 2009 we were able to receive $1,250,000 in funding from The Community Development Trust Fund in order to employ seven labour crews working on rail trails for an average period of 25.5 weeks. This amount was matched by the Trans Canada Trail Foundation (TCTF) at a rate of 20 per cent. Two of the three regional districts (Regional District of Central Kootenay, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen) through which the trail travelled contributed $95,000 in order to increase the value of the matched funds. All funds were spent on capital improvements to the rail trails.
In addition I have managed funds from Tourism BC, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Forest and Lands, the Ministry of Community Development, Trans Canada Trail Foundation, Human Resource Development Canada and the Ministry of Environment. The B.C. government has proven that it is willing to invest in trail development in our province and the federal government often supplies infrastructure grants for these projects. While funding sources change every year and government ministries and programmes are continually being altered, these types of grants are regularly available. The diversity of sources for these grants proves how diverse the benefits are that we would gain from this rail trail.
Development and management of the majority of the rail trails in the province of B.C. are currently managed by wonderful groups of volunteers. In most cases these stewardship groups have established themselves as non-profit societies in order to maintain insurance and access funding through various grant applications that would otherwise not be accessible to their municipalities. These groups have even accessed funds to implement large-scale capital projects for their trails. They have achieved amazing feats for rail trails in B.C.. The Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative, a local citizens group, is planning to raise millions of dollars for development once the acquisition goes through. These funds will pay for development directly and will be the source of matching funds to access other grants.
While there is no absolute confirmed promise, I can’t see why it would happen in any other way than those who have gone before us. The District of Lake Country will not have to direct its annual budgets to development and manage costs of the rail trail.
Thanks for reading and please remember to vote on April 25.
Leigh-Ann Johnson, Lake Country
