K&P Trail: back on the South Frontenac agenda?

by Jeff Green

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Just when talk about turning the old K&P rail line into a public trail seemed to have faded completely away, the City of Kingston’s offer of $30,000 for the portion of the line that runs through Kingston has brought the trail back to the attention of politicians in South Frontenac.

An article in the Kingston Whig Standard contained the following assertion,  “In 2000, the township of South Frontenac agreed, in principle only, to completing the K&P trail,” but current Mayor Bill Lake, who was a councillor then, does not remember any such council decision.

“I don’t think it was agreed in principle,” he told the News this week, “As I remember it was more or less tabled. The insurance issue has to be straightened out, we have to find out about the cost, and finally there is the question of the fencing.”

Portland Councillor Bill Robinson, who has expressed concerns about the costs of the proposed K&P trail through Portland District in the past, said nothing has happened for him to reconsider his position.

“I’m not against trails, but there is the matter of the cost. It could be a lot of money,” he said. The entire township will pay for this; however the entire township did not pay for the water in Sydenham.”

Even councillors who advocate for the K&P trail, such as Bedford ’s David Hahn, don’t see council jumping into making an offer to purchase the 8km of railway bed that would join the Kingston trail with the Cataraqui trail at Harrowsmith, or the portion running along Road 38 towards the Trans Canada trail at Sharbot Lake .

“There are issues to be dealt with,” he said, “but if the political will is there a trail could be developed.”

“We asked Bell Canada for further information about their intentions years ago now,” concludes Mayor Bill Lake, “and we haven’t heard back from them. I don’t see this coming back to the council table right now.”