Groups involved in enhancing and refurbishing Powell River’s Millennium Park trail system gathered on Saturday, May 28, to mark the completion of what some compare to Canada’s most famous urban park.
“It is our Stanley Park,” said City of Powell River mayor Dave Formosa, who recognized community support for the property’s purchase through referendum, and Powell River Community Forest grants for the purchase of the trees, as well as many hours of volunteer time put into the project.
Comparing Millennium Park to the natural forest in the middle of Vancouver was a sentiment shared by Neil Pukesh, City of Powell River’s manager of recreation, who also said it is “our little Stanley Park.”
Millennium Park work was coordinated by volunteer group the BOMB Squad. Group spokesperson Pat Walsh agreed with Formosa and Pukesh.
“It is a jewel,” said Walsh. “There are very, very few municipalities that have a jewel like this right in the city.”
According to Walsh, the squad put together a plan and budget for materials provided by a $23,000 grant from a Powell River Community Forest grant received in November 2014.
Squad volunteer hours amounted to more than 3,000, he said, plus an additional 350 hours from the Powell River ATV Club, which provided assistance on one particular trail to lay foundation that makes it mobility friendly.
Not only is the park a highlight of Powell River’s attractions, Walsh said work completed by the BOMB Squad has been a highlight for them.
“This is the first time the BOMB Squad has ever worked in the front country; typically our work is done unseen and anonymously way out in the backcountry, “ said Walsh. “This is a change, to come into town and work on a project that’s more high profile. We felt it was worth doing because it was a shame to see the trails and the park languish; it needed to be refurbished.”
On rain-drenched mornings, Walsh said many of the trails would have been impassable. According to him, the upgrades will allow the trails to be used rain or shine.
“There’s about 600 feet of new boardwalk on the trails,” he said. “In addition to that, all the drainage in the trail system has been improved, so it allows water to run through the trails and not turn them into mud holes. It was only in those specific areas where it was impossible to deal with the drainage that boardwalks were constructed.”
According to Pukesh, in addition to development and maintenance of trail systems, the BOMB Squad installed other new amenities and an 80-foot bridge span.
Members of Powell River Cycling Association and Powell River Trail Running (PRTR), along with dog walkers, hikers and naturalists, were all on hand at the gathering.
According to PRTR member Joseph McLean, who runs the trails in every season, there are new bridges and now all of the trails are interconnected.
“They’ve gone from having a 2x4 in the mud to having a full-featured bridge with grating,” said McLean. “There’s a lot more signage. Now that they’re all connected, you can jump from one trail to another, whereas before you had to go out on the road; now you can stay in nature for the whole thing.”
Millennium Park trails can be accessed from Marine Avenue across from Willingdon Beach and from Powell River Recreation Complex.
