Salmon Arm's mutli-use path from the RCMP station to JL Jackson on 16 Street NE is off and running following the grand opening Saturday morning, May 24.
The ribbon cutting was well attended with Mayor Alan Harrison, Couns. Tim Lavery and Sylvia Lindgren, staff and around 20 members of the public gathered with bikes, scooters and walking shoes to celebrate the trail that's been approximately three years in the making.
Addressing the crowd, Harrison recognized the government's Active Transportation funding of about $400,000, with the city covering the remainder of the total that was just under $800,000, adding that "these projects are expensive, but important."
Harrison also acknowledged the project leadership of Lavery, who led the project from the start with council support.
"Of course, we need champions to make it happen... It's been a council effort, and council has backed behind the leadership of Tim," he said. "Most of all, we need community passion and community stakeholders... who push us as council and let us know the importance of this kind of thing."
Harrison then turned the ceremony over to Lavery to say a few words, who credited others as well, contractor Shane Leggo from Exo Contracting, active transportation task force and particularly staff who had "a lot of headaches to put things together, but they've done it, and they've done it well."
"This is thanks to the efforts of many people," he said. "I'd also say this is the first of a number of projects"
The celebration was briefly paused to let a mobility scooter pass through, perfectly demonstrating not only the need for it, but that "the path is for everyone," as Harrison said.
Lindgren added this project was also about equity within the community, as not everyone can afford to have a vehicle, or just don't drive.
"These kinds of projects bring equity to our community so that people without cars have the same access to the community that everybody else does."
