A boost for the people behind the Okanagan Rail Trail project after the group received its largest single donation to date to build a lengthy path connecting Kelowna and the north Okanagan.
The $500,000 grant towards the project has come from the provincial Rural Dividend Fund.
The donation will be used to create safe trail and road crossings in the north Okanagan and Lake Country, and to build ’test sections’ to determine the most appropriate and economical means for constructing the trail and encourage local construction companies to get involved.
Efforts to build the 48 kilometre trail began in 2013 when CN Rail announced that the corridor would be abandoned.
The campaign to build the trail is a community effort involving four local Governments (City of Kelowna, District of Lake Country, Okanagan Indian Band and North Okanagan Regional District). All four are working together to plan and develop the corridor into a multi-use trail.
The Community Foundation of North Okanagan and the Central Okanagan Foundation are collecting donations for the project and providing tax receipts. A volunteer group of Trail Ambassadors are working with Campaign Partners and Business Partners to raise awareness and inspire donations.
“This will be the biggest year yet,” Trail Ambassador Brad Clements said. “Trail construction activities will be proceeding, and there will be a final push to complete fundraising so that the trail can be finished and open by 2018.“
About $7.8 million is needed to complete the project. So far, 40 per cent of that has been funded.
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