On June 19, the Rocky View County (RVC) Recreation Governance Committee doled out close to $170,000 for the Bragg Creek Trails Association (BCTA), a group that maintains nearly 14,000 acres of Kananaskis trails.
The committee approved a grant of $166,050 for the BCTA, a little under the group's request of $170,000. According to a representative of the BCTA, the trails that the association oversees are frequented by 300,000 people per year.
“We believe that one of the reasons we’re here is…we think that the proximity the hamlet of Bragg Creek has [to the trails], we think it is fair to say the [County] might get a slightly higher share of the visitation benefit and quality of life benefit,” said BCTA manager of Fundraising, Gordon Salahor.
Salahor, a volunteer in his position with the BCTA, said that the association’s capital budget is about $1,860,000. The money accounts for trail construction costing around $1,178,000, machinery totalling $55,000, upgrades to summer trails to make them year-round valued at $200,000, and widening of ski trails that will cost $427,000.
Salahor said that, although the trails themselves do not fall within the municipal boundaries of RVC, the County benefits economically and in quality of life due to its proximity.
“In the world of recreation this is unstructured and ad hoc–by and large, and it is something people do for enjoyment,” Salahor said to the committee. “We believe these things rank pretty highly.”
The 14,000 acres, of 56 square kilometres that constitute the Bragg Creek Trails, are overseen officially by the Alberta Forestry and Parks Department. The BCTA do not own the trails but they are responsible for the upkeep, hence the need to fundraise money for trail renovations.
According to the BCTA, the trails are used in all four seasons. People from all over the Calgary region visit the Bragg Creek Trails to hike in the summer and springtime, walk their dogs, mountain bike, trail run, and cross-country ski in the winter.
Division 2 Coun. and Deputy Reeve Don Kochan asked Salahor if the BCTA gets any money from the City of Calgary, since according to the BCTA’s own statistics, Calgary residents make up the majority of the Trail users.
Salahor said the City hasn’t given the BCTA any money. He added that the association plans on presenting before the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board some time in the future to ask for funds.
As for now, the committee decided to approve a grant of $166,050 for the BCTA, close to 10 per cent of the association’s capital budget.
