Port McNeill Rotary Club’s President Rick Restell was excited to announce that the town will get a new series of trails.
“The new Windsor Plywood building displaced a lot of material that needed to be disposed of,” he said, “rather than take it to the landfill, some of our members got involved in that, they decided to take that fill and make a trail of it.”
He also noted that much of the first phase that runs from Mine Road to Campbell Way up to the highway, those two sections, are built from donated, free material, which also included the free use of machinery.
“The trails were very, very low cost,” he added, “there wasn’t a lot of thought on where they should go or what the final trail would actually look like down the road. ‘Let’s just build a trail,’ was the thought,” he said.
“Many Rotary Clubs build trails, it’s kind of part of what they do on the local scene. The trails got built and then everybody realized that the trails were being used a lot,” he also added.
“I never go by the trail that there isn’t somebody on it,” he said. “It’s very popular in Port McNeill. The thought process is, ‘where do we go next?’”
Now, the Rotary Club moves on to its phase three of its trail project, which at the end of it all would mean a full trail loop around the town.
The newest trail is anticipated to be finished by sometime in the new year, but most likely as soon as May as Restell noted.
The newest trail will go south close by the Port McNeill airport and nearing Hyde Creek.
After having discussions with many stakeholders the club decided it may be best to build a bridge across Hyde Creek near the ocean.
“You could walk all the way around Port McNeill effectively on the trail,” Restell said.
He mentioned the trail could have the possibility of wheelchair accessibility. In fact, the club is looking to try to make the entire trail wheel-chair accessible.
“It’s not just a place to exercise and get a little walk in before dinner,” he pointed out, “it’s also a place that, if you’re visiting here from outside the city, you would want to give this trail a walk.”
Restell also mentioned that this kind of trail could be a selling feature for the town, in a hope that it would increase tourism business for not only the town but the region.
He concluded by having said that the club has finished phase two of the trail project and just about to start phase three.
The entire project has five phases, which by the end of it all would mean a finished loop around the town. Fundraising is expected to start soon.