A public information session is being held at the Meadow lake Civic Centre regarding the walking path connection project. (Submitted/City of Meadow Lake)
Community connection

Public information session scheduled for Walking Path project

Jul 8, 2022 | 1:10 PM

Community feedback will be the final piece before construction begins to further connect Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation.

A public information session is being held at the Meadow Lake Civic Centre on July 12, to discuss the Walking Path project. This will connect the existing walking paths in Flying Dust and the City’s Lion’s Park.

Meadow Lake’s Parks and Recreation Manager Regan Beck told meadowlakeNOW that it’s an important project for the area, and the City has been in close communication with Flying Dust.

“They’re full partners in this, right back to the application process,” he said. “People understand how intertwined the communities are and this is another opportunity to provide a physical connection between the two.”

The two communities were successful in their joint grant application back in 2021, under the COVID-19 Resilience stream as part of the Invest in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).

Beck said connecting the paths will significantly expand the walking path network, providing easier access to multiple facilities and services and improving a heavily utilized feature.

“You lengthen it a little and provide opportunities for an easy transit between both communities to each other,” he said. “You can’t go wrong on this project.”

Beck added that this will also help reduce the number of people walking on the highway and various risks associated with high volume of pedestrians near speeding vehicles. Both communities have looked to make the project happen for years, given how many utilize this feature.

“This is a nice alternative, so you’re not dealing with vehicles not paying attention and other hazards,” Beck said. “Our path at Lions Park in the City is used constantly and I believe the Flying Dust path is used similarly.”

In having the information session, the City and Flying Dust are hoping to announce to people how soon work will begin, as well as consult the public while there’s some room to course-correct on certain details.

“We’d love to hear we got things right, but we’re interested in what people have to say and if there’s a better way to do this that we hadn’t considered,” Beck said.

He added that with the planning period done, aside from anything that comes from the meeting, the contractor for the project can move quickly.

“As soon as we close this phase, we’re expecting to have the project finished by October.”

The session on July 12 will begin at 7:00 p.m.

cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @meadowlakeNOW

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