Thousands of people have biked, roller-bladed, strolled, run, cross-country skied and skateboarded the Rails-to-Trails NorthStar Trail (pictured above) between Kimberley and Cranbrook for two years now.

But on Saturday, June 2, all the agencies behind the establishment of the 25 km (15.6 mile) paved trail connecting the two largest cities in the East Kootenay will celebrate their accomplishment becoming a part of the Trans Canada Trail system with a dignitary arriving to place a special plaque at the Wycliffe Bridge.

Trans Canada Trail president and chief executive officer Deborah Apps will be on hand to unveil the plaque and to help local volunteers and officials celebrate the moment.

Al Skucas, the Cranbrook-based president of Trails B.C. and Rockies/East Kootenay director, and a key volunteer who has helped transform the former CP Rail Kimberley Subdivision rail line into a fully-paved non-motorized trail facility, said the addition of the NorthStar Trail to the Trans Canada system makes perfect sense.

“It seemed to be such a natural fit,” he said, adding the local trail won’t just be a part of the Trans Canada system, “it will be a destination trail for the Trans Canada Trail.”

Skucas noted the famous Kettle Valley Rails-to-Trail section sees 30,000 users a year, making it the most popular section of the Trans Canada Trail. In time, he said he believes the NorthStar Trail will rival those numbers.

The NorthStar Rails-to-Trails project was officially opened on September 18, 2010 – four years after CP Rail announced it would give its 16-mile right-of-way to the two cities.

“Ever since then there have been a lot of people involved,” Skucas said, pointing out former City of Kimberley Mayor Jim Ogilvie as “the one who engaged Cranbrook city council” to get on board with the project. He also noted that former City of Cranbrook Mayor Ross Priest needed no urging to get involved, too. “He got the city engaged,” he said.

With both cities working together, it was then time to get other key agencies involved, Skucas said, noting that a number of people and organizations played important roles, including Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett, Cranbrook Rotary, Mainroads Contracting, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, the federal government, CPR and all the members of the trails establishment committee.

In 2007 the joint city task force applied for a Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) grant to convert the rail line to a trail – no small task as rails, ties and contaminated soil and ballast had to be removed, something CPR provided that does not end up in the final cost of completing the trail, which came in just under $3 million. Teck stepped up to take the contaminated material at its Marysville tailing pond.

The trail committee managed to get $1.8 million from the MRIF, which was equally split between the provincial and federal governments. The remaining funding was split by Cranbrook and Kimberley taxpayers.

Construction began in 2009 and the trail opened for traffic the next fall.

Since then, the trail has become one of the key social and tourism amenities in the Cranbrook-Kimberley corridor, Skucas said.
“As far as I am concerned it is one of our best community assets,” he said, adding usage continues to increase. A main reason the NorthStar Trail is so popular is the fact it was a railroad line.

“Rail bed trails are appealing because of the grade,” Skucas said. “Seniors are starting to use that trail,” he said, noting he knows people who haven’t been on bicycles in 20 years are riding the trail.

“It’s great to see the young families,” he added. To give an idea of the traffic on the trail, during the Labour Day long weekend in 2011 there were more than 1,000 crossings over the Wycliffe Bridge.

To keep the trail operating smoothly a society and operating committee, with one member from each municipality and two from the Regional District of East Kootenay as well as citizens at large, is being formed. Major issues with the trail will fall under the joint-jurisdiction of Cranbrook and Kimberley.

“We are in the process of having a society that will look after the trail,” Skucas said. “We think this has to be a community thing,” he said, stating new members of the society are welcome.

The plaque unveiling ceremony is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 2 at the Wycliffe Bridge section of the trail, which is roughly the half-way point along the thoroughfare.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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