A completion date isn’t necessarily a completion date

The mystery over the Rushbrook trail and the lack of progress on its rejuvenation received an update in Thursday’s Daily News.

Earlier this week the Daily printed an article about a couple of local hikers who were beginning to wonder why the trail hadn’t been completed yet and where the money went that had been raised and allocated towards it.

As things turn out the completion date posted on the sign at the trail entrance is about a year early, a Ministry of Finance official advises that the contract regarding the trail doesn’t require the project to actually be finished no earlier than March 31 of 2009.

The convoluted wanderings of bureaucracy were untangled in a front page story in Thursday’s paper.

TRAIL NOT DUE TO BE FINISHED BEFORE APRIL SAYS MINISTRY
Rushbrook trial’s real finish date is march 31, 2009 despite sign promising ‘June 08’
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Pages one and two

Following complaints from hikers about an apparent lack of progress on the Rushbrook Trail, representatives from two B.C. ministries said this week the walkway is 58 per cent paid for.

According to a B.C. Ministry of Finance representative and a representative from the ministry of Transportation, Prince Rupert was given two payments of $50,000 for the Rushbrook Olympic Interpretive Walkway trail, a trail that remains unfinished because it passed the 50 per cent funding requirement for work done.

"Sometimes, the cost does not show up because of all the preliminary stuff that has to go on," said Doug Harms of the Infrastructure Development Branch for the ministry of Transportation.
Harms said that the first payment comes when the contracts have been tendered and work has begun on the project, and for the second payment the funding is received when there is a statement of expenditures from an independent professional, in this case an engineer associated with the trail project.

The final payment would not be received until an official audit on the completed project is sent, said Harms.

As for oversight on a project like this, Harms said that they do not normally have anyone directly from the B. C. government overseeing work but instead rely on pictures to prove that work has been done.

“Because the costs to the project are relatively small, it is just not cost effective to go up to (Prince Rupert),” said Harms. He added that the only time they would send a monitor to inspect a project is when the project is considered in trouble, which at this point, Rushbrook is not.

Charles Suenbermen of the ministry of Finance confirmed what Harms said. He added that the sign at the head of the rail might say that the trail is to be completed by “June 2008”, but the contract signed by the city, Rotary Club of Prince Rupert and the B. C. government requires the project to be finished no earlier than March 31, 2009.

The funding for the Olympic/Paralympic Live Sites (OPLS) used to be run through the Ministry of Economic Development but were subsequently moved to within the control of the Ministry of Finance.

The change happened under the restructuring of provincial portfolios undertaken last June.
The OPLS are now approved directly by the Minister of Finance, Colin Hansen.

Hansen added that the District of Port Edward’s OPLS project, the dock expansion of the North Pacific Historic Fishing Village Museum, is completed and that Port Ed has requested that the final $45,000 cheque be sent to the district.

City of Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said, as far as he was aware, the city has not given a cent to the trail project and he said the city would only be paying for services in-kind, meaning gravel for the trail route or other similar donations.

“We’re playing a supportive role but it is a Rotary project,” said Pond.

“My understanding is that they are getting close to tendering contracts.”

Rushbrook trail gets cash infusion

It was a week for cheque ceremonies, as in addition to the Premier's visit with cash in hand for the Spirit Square for Mariner's Park on Thursday, another local project received a cash injection.

The Province provided 100,000 dollars last Wednesday, towards the 350,000 dollar cost of making the Rushbrook trail safe and usable to the public once again. The project goes back to 2007 and a move by the Rotary Club to try and get the renovations and upgrades back on track for the popular walking trail on the east side of the city.

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It's the second time that the Rotarians have tried to get the necessary financial support in place to make some progress on the project.

The Daily news had the details on the grant and the project in Friday's paper.

Big step forward for Rushbrook Trail
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, April 25, 2008
Pages one and three

The Prince Rupert Rotary Club took another step forward in the completion of the Rushbrook Olympic Interpretive Walkway on Wednesday, when they received a cheque for $100,000 from Bulkley Valley-Stikine MLA Dennis MacKay.

The total award from the Olympic/Paralympic Live Sites (OPLS) Program for the project is $150,000, the second portion of which will be awarded when the project is completed later in 2008.

The funds comprise a large part of the total budget for the project, which is expected to be more than $350,000 due to the complex engineering and development plans needed to ensure the trail is located a safe distance from the cliff-face, where rock slides are always a safety concern.

"The Rotary Club of Prince Rupert would like to thank the OPLS for their significant contribution, which has made this very worthwhile and complex project possible," said Bill Nicholls, president of the Prince Rupert Rotary Club. "Despite its closure a number of years ago by the City of Prince Rupert due to safety concerns, this popular trail sill attracts thousands of local pedestrians each year. The walkway will promote fitness within the community, provide an educational resources for local teachers and create a tourism amenity for the cruise ship facility."
Many partners have contributed to the cost.

The Rotary Club has put in $75,000, as did the Coast Sustainability Trust fund, while the City of Prince Rupert contributed $25,000.

Western Economic Diversification put in $27,000 for the initial feasibility studies.

The total project includes relocating parts of the existing walkway away from the hillside in 'high' and 'moderate' slide risk areas, using the existing railway bed as a catchment area, as well as installing a new roadbed using crushed rock. New ditches will be dug for improved drainage, and existing signage, railings, culverts and benches will be replaced.

Finally, interpretive signage will be installed to highlight the rich heritage and wildlife of the North Coast, describing traditional food plants and herbs along the coast and addressing the history of the region.

Nicholls said the Rotary Club is excited about the progress of the Rushbrook project, because all that's needed now is final approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada before the project can be put out for tender.

He said the fact that three bridges need to be constructed as part of the engineering plan has added complexity to the project, but once a successful bidder is announced the timeline for completion should be approximately three months.

It's believed that the finished walkway will encourage economic development and generate seasonal jobs such as tour guides, retail staff and local merchants, in addition to attracting local and visiting pedestrians and creating a tourism amenity.