The Town of Golden and the Golden Snowmobile Trail Society (GSTS) have signed a historic five-year $225,000 Contribution Agreement. This agreement guarantees $45,000 in annual funding for the grooming of popular winter snowmobile trails in the area.
The funds, which are sourced from the Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) annual allocation to the Town of Golden, will cover approximately 40 per cent of the annual grooming costs.
As a part of the Agreement, the society will provide annual visitation statistics for each of the trail systems they groom including Quartz Creek, Gorman Lake, Silent Pass, and eventually the near complete West Bench Trail.
“The RMI funding is bringing much-needed, financial stability to the snowmobile grooming process. With its insertion in to the GSTS budget, we have been able to secure a contractor for 176 grooming runs, on three different trails throughout the 2012/13 season,” said president of GSTS, Aaron Berlusconi. “This year, locals and tourists alike will enjoy a reliably smooth trail product that should continue to solidify Golden as one of the top snowmobile destinations in Western Canada.”
Mayor Christina Benty also sees this agreement as being beneficial for the Town.
“I am very pleased the Town of Golden has been able to provide assistance to a mainstay public tourism activity in our area through the RMI Program. Supporting tourism in our community through this program is one of council’s current strategic priorities; maintaining world-class groomed trails in our region will ensure Golden continues to be viewed as a fabulous mountain snowmobiling destination”, Benty said.
The five-year contribution agreement is one of 11 distinct projects in the Town of Golden’s Resort Development Strategy.
