Richmond Municipal Council expressed support for making an old rail bed from River Tillard to St. Peter’s into a multi-use trail.
During last night’s regular monthly meeting in Arichat, District 4 Councillor Amanda Mombourquette received council’s approval to support the East Richmond ATV Riders Club in obtaining a Letter to Authority from the provincial government to manage the three-kllometre trail that ends at the bottom of Denys Street in St. Peter’s.
Mombourquette said the group wants the authority to be able to upgrade the trail, which she said is designated by the province as an Abandoned Rail Corridor. As a result, she said the Department of Natural Resources has no mandate to upgrade or maintain the trail.
Celtic Shores Coastal Trail. (Nova Scotia Government Photo)
Noting that the status-quo is not acceptable, Mombourquette said the trail was almost lost to the ocean recently, forcing the DNR to spend $100,000 in armour stone and shoreline erosion control last fall despite their lack of a long-term plan for the trail.
To clear up any confusion, the District 4 Councillor said the province confirmed to her that it is not operated as a park trail. To those who attended a recent open house in St. Peter’s about the trail but were unable to provide their input, Mombourquette noted they can still fill out a survey.
Because it’s on an old rail bed, Mombourquette said the trail has a “good foundation” and can easily accommodate walkers and ATV trafficking, As a result of Nova Scotia’s new Road Trails Act, this trail can help connect all trails in the municipality, which helps the economy, she said.
Like Mombourquette, Warden Lois Landry added that it can be used as a multi-use trail, like the Ceilidh Shores Coastal Trail in Inverness County.