Orangeville Railway Backgrounder

- in 1997, Orangeville town council adopts the Sub watershed 19 Plan as an environmental planning framework, which recommends a recreational trail network be created.

- in 1998 Orangeville council amends its official plan to include provision for a trail network that would eventually connect parks, schools and shopping areas in town with the Island Lake Conservation Area and Credit Valley trail system. The completed trail loop would be about 15-km long .

- in 1998 the town creates a railway committee. Sept. 21, 1998 a public forum is held to discuss the trail concept. From that meeting, the committee approves guiding principles and standards for trails. Among them, the trail would be continuous, be suitable for walkers and cyclists and, in some segments, for wheelchairs, strollers and rollerbladers.

Orangeville Trail Backgrounder (cont’d)

The trail would comfortably accommodate two-way single-file traffic (be approximately 2.5 metres wide) and would be paved wherever possible, within budget constraints. Limestone screenings are considered an acceptable, alternative surface treatment.

- from 1998 to 2003 the railway committee oversees construction of approximately seven kilometres of trail, primarily, in the new subdivisions of the town’s west end.

- in 2002-3 the committee investigates applying for a Trillium Grant to fund further trail work. Because the population of Orangeville exceeds 20,000, the Town of Orangeville is ineligible for a grant. However, Trillium would consider an application from the Town with a collaborative partner. The Orangeville Optimist Club agrees to be that partner.

- 2003 after the municipal election the railway committee is rolled into the recreation committee.

- in Oct. 2004, the Orangeville Trail Extension Collaborative, submits a Trillium application for $75,000 to build a 650-metre section of trail of limestone screenings, from Rotary Park to the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Highway 10 (by Dairy Queen), to link with an existing section of trail that runs along the west side of Highway 10 north to Canadian Tire and around to First Street. Collaborative members include John Murray and Bliss Daley for the Optimists, Graham Burke, Director of Parks & Recreation, Bernadette Hardaker (trail committee member since 1999 and current member of the recreation committee) and Councillor Warren Maycock.

-March 4, 2005, Trillium notifies the collaborative that it has been awarded a grant of $54,900. The amount of $9,800, raised in previous “My Trail” fundraising campaigns between 2000 - 2004, is transferred into collaborative’s account to build newest section of trail. Remainder of needed funds will come from community fundraising.

-June 10, 2005 MPP John Tory and other dignitaries attend ground-breaking of trail. Mr. Tory donates $500 to unofficially start fundraising.

- September, 2005 after reviewing three bids, Greenwood Construction is selected by the collaborative to build the trail. Construction expected to start in October.

- January 26, 2006 after months of discussion the Ministry of Transport issues an encroachment permit to allow construction to go ahead. (The north section of the trail by Home Hardware is quite narrow and we needed to encroach slightly on MTO property in order to properly grade the trail.)

- April 17, 2006 trail construction begins.

 - April 2006 Orangeville Railway Buy-a-Metre Campaign begins. Brochures are being delivered to every Orangeville householder, encouraging donations. One metre costs $50 (which is close to what a real metre of trail costs to build). Donors’ names will go on the pavilion in Dragonfly Park. A fundraising sign will go up in the next couple of weeks.

We have $62,000 in the bank towards the total cost. We hope to raise another $38,000. Any excess funds collected will go to other future trail projects. Charitable tax receipts will be issued by the Town of Orangeville Treasury Dept.