The City of Terrace celebrated the completion of the Kitsumgallum Cemetery lookout and Howe Creek trail enhancements on Friday, Oct. 4.
A crowd including Terrace’s mayor, councillors, partners and community members attended both ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
The two projects received a total of $101,000 in funding to complete. Major contributors include Terrace Community Forest, Chevron and Skeena Sawmills, according to a city press release.
“We’ve got one of the cleanest air communities in Canada, and when you’re out enjoying the clean, fresh air, it’s just that sense of community that makes Terrace a place you want to be,” says Mayor Carol Leclerc.
At Howe Creek, the upgrades initiate a long-term plan to rehabilitate the trail and provide a more accessible, safe trail network for the community.
READ MORE: Terrace Community Forests harvest $750k for City of Terrace
“One of the students at Caledonia Secondary School last year couldn’t walk because of the roots, but the way the trail is this year she can go down it. That speaks volumes,” Leclerc says. “If you’ve got a walker, or if you’re in a wheelchair, this makes it so much easier to get around and enjoy the beautiful trails.”
Terrace Community Forest (TCF) spearheaded the project, which included installing new culverts and ditches along the trail, recapping large sections of the trail with gravel crush, cribbing the trail, defining the creek flow with rocks, building boardwalks and installing kiosks with interpretive signage.
The Kitsumgallum Cemetery Lookout is a new viewpoint at the Kitsumgallum Cemetery. The land was gifted to the City by Skeena Sawmills back in March. TCF led the project, which included clearing the site, developing a viewing deck with paver stones for a picnic table and benches, adding new fencing.
The property is bounded by Kalum Lake Drive and overlooks the city, the Skeena River and the Skeena Sawmills facility, stretching east of the graveyard.
“The Kitsumgallum Cemetery lookout is going to add extra parkland to the City of Terrace,” says Leclerc. “A huge thank you to Skeena Sawmills. By donating the land, we’re going to have a legacy left for people to enjoy for decades to come.”
READ MORE: Skeena Sawmills donates parkland to city
Crews were on site during the ribbon-cutting ceremony to finish up some of the work, including installing benches and picnic tables. The lookout is expected to be fully complete in the next few weeks.
Paving of a parking lot is expected to be finished at a later date when contractors are available, the city says. A kiosk will also be installed in the future.
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