Poplar Ridge residents should have been consulted before a new trail was announced, said the area’s Red Deer County councillor.
The county approved spending up to $300,000 on four new trail projects at its July 20 meeting. Among the proposed trails was a 1.6-km link as part of a two-phase project near Poplar Ridge subdivision. A second phase in 2023 would connect trail to school and residential areas.
However, not all residents were happy with the trail and lack of consultation and took to a private community group on Facebook to voice their concerns.
Coun. Christine Moore, who represents the area and is chair of the Trails Task Force, said she was also unaware ahead of time that the four trail projects were to come before council, where the motion to go ahead with them was unanimously passed.
Not consulting the community was a mistake, said Moore. Given that trails and their placement can prove contentious, public engagement was to be a key part of the task force’s work.
“One of the pillars of the (trail) plan was community engagement and suddenly that didn’t happen.”
Moore said she apologized to Poplar Ridge residents for not reaching out to them before the trail came before council. On Tuesday, she moved a motion that was passed unanimously to defer any Poplar Ridge trails until residents have been consulted.
Surveys will be mailed to all of the residences in Poplar Ridge subdivision and other nearby areas soon and a report on responses will come back to council for the fall.
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Moore regrets that some residents felt left out of the process for creating a new trail in their area.
“It was definitely a mistake on the part of the county and I’m very disappointed that happened. But I’m about the future and we’re going to find out what the community wants.”
Some residents had questioned the location of the trail, which would have gone through areas that some considered environmentally sensitive. Other concerns related to its proximity to property lines.
Moore said county residents have made it clear in previous surveys that they would like to see more trails. But it is important that they are in the right place and are supported by neighbours.
“The last thing we want to do is upset the residents.”