Have you ever stood at the crest of the paved path coming down the east hill in Athabasca and admired the view of the river? Maybe you prefer strolling along the sun-dappled trail leading up to the Multiplex on the west side of Athabasca?
Whatever your fancy, the Rotary Club of Athabasca is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rotary Way trail system with a day of walking, while also preparing a new addition to the path.
The first path, installed in 1994, starts at the top of the east hill, behind the Athabasca County office. It will tie in with the latest project, a smaller 300-metre section, that connects the Multiplex and new Edwin Parr School to the existing trail network.
Noel Major, Rotary Club member and trail enthusiast, said there was concern watching mothers trying to push baby carriages along the highway from the east side of town to get downtown.
“We were watching people walk up and down the road (Highway 55) and thinking ‘Why doesn’t somebody so something about it and there has to be a better way?’” said Rotary Club of Athabasca member Dan Dennis.
Dennis also said that first pathway “was all we originally envisioned. It would just get people safely up and down that hill.”
“We all have a need, we all have the desire, so then once you have that you get people wanting to contribute one way or another – either in-kind or other support. That’s how we get things done,” Dennis said, explaining how the projects have come together and kept costs down over the past two and half decades.
The two members said the Rotary Way enhances the sidewalk system placed by the Town of Athabasca.
They added there are no sidewalks along the road by the new high school, and there was concern for the additional student foot traffic.
The ability to stroll through the forest, get to the Muskeg Creek trails, or easily access the downtown from the east side of Athabasca is an ongoing project for the Rotary Club of Athabasca, they said.
“We do have some formal arrangements with the town regarding leasing land so that we can access some grants,” Dennis said. “There are certain grants that we can access, but then (the agreement) also has things like (land) ownership or having access to the land.”
“We have an informal lease agreement with the town that if we want to build a trail in town, we can build it anywhere on public lands in the town. We just have to let them know ahead of time, so they’ll know what we are doing,” Major further explained.
The Rotary Club of Athabasca has always had a strong partnership with the town, Major said.
“Either the town or (the Rotary Club of Athabasca) will share the paving, because that’s the big costs afterwards, when you have to pave it,” he said. “We’ve got to do that between grants or fundraising or whatever.”
“If we hire some equipment like we just did at the Multiplex, we have to pay for that equipment,” he continued. “But the town’s donated the majority of it, like the trucks, the guys to drive them and materials. So it’s just a great working relationship.”
The Rotary Club is keeping an eye on the new bridge connecting Athabasca’s north and south sides for new trail possibilities.
They already have informal plans to build a walking trail to the bridge, which is slated to have a sidewalk.
“That’s what Rotary Way is about — it’s connecting the different parts of town,” Dennis said.
Connecting the town connects the community, and that’s the goal.
The Rotary Way Trail 25th Anniversary celebration will take place Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with starting points at the beginning of both the east and west trails.
Participants are encouraged to walk the trails and meet at the riverfront near the stage for a barbecue and prizes.
