There are two main groups of folks who use Springwater Township’s trail system — those who like to ride and those who like to walk, or motors versus non-motors.
One group wants to kick out the jams and experience the thrills and exhilaration of high-speed offroading, while the other is interested in exploring nature at a leisurely pace, leaving the stress, the noise and the bustle of the everyday world behind.
Managing them, and how they use the township’s trail system, falls onto the shoulders of Briana Dean, Springwater's manager of parks, recreation and facilities.
Dean was hosting a trails master plan open house on Thursday night at the township’s administration centre, where she spent much of her time listening to the concerns of dozens of residents who dropped by to share their input.
“We have a lot of diverse user groups,” Dean said, taking a short break from interacting with community members. “Open houses like this one, and public consultation in general, gives us a really good idea of the needs, desires and concerns of the different groups that use the trails.
“One of our goals is to determine how everybody can have equitable rights to different areas of the trails or different areas of outdoor recreation. It’s a balancing act,” she added.
Since the pandemic, Dean said use of the township’s trail system has increased significantly.
“Outdoor recreation during the pandemic had a huge focus — it was the only thing we were allowed to do,” she said. “That’s led to a new appreciation and we’re definitely seeing an increase in trail traffic.”
To manage that traffic and ensure the trails are meeting the needs of a population that is expected to double to almost 50,000 residents by 2041, Dean and her team are dedicated to creating a plan that focuses on the details, both in the design and maintenance of the system.
According to Dean, all of the consultation, background work and research that is being done now will inform a strategic vision that will provide the township with a blueprint on trail development for the next 10 years.
“We’re looking at the whole picture,” Dean said. “Our work takes into consideration all of our existing trails, service levels and maintenance included, trail linkages and any new developments that will contain trails.
“This work will also guide the policies around the trail and the maintenance of the system," she added.
At last night’s open house, the township posted a number of information boards around the room and invited feedback via sticky notes and coloured circles — they called it "dotmocracy."
One board was labelled off-road vehicle recommendations. It had seven key recommendations, a description of each and a space where residents could apply a coloured circle to show support for what they favoured.
Another board invited input on administrative and policy recommendations. This board welcomed feedback on things such as the need to strike a trail committee for oversight, hire a trails co-ordinator who is dedicated to trails work only, create an online trails portal for information, and offer information and educational seminars.
While Dean knows one solution won’t work for everyone, she says she's committed to ensuring Springwater’s trails are accessible by the entire community and she encourages residents to provide input.
Residents who couldn’t attend the open house can visit the township’s website and share their thoughts by clicking on the ‘get involved’ button on the trails master plan page.
Dean says she expects to present the trails master plan recommendations to Springwater council before the end of June.
