Trail opening – a good day for Frontenac County

Jeff Green | Sep 06, 2012

Photo: Frontenac County Warden Janet Gutowski (centre) flanked by (L to R) Frontenac County politicians Gary Davison, Del Stowe and John McDougall, Bud Clayton, Allan McPhail, John Inglis, and Dennis Doyle, cutting the ribbon to open the trail.

The official ceremony to mark the opening of the first phase of development for the South Frontenac section of the K&P trail was set for 11 am last Friday, August 31. But an hour earlier a small group gathered 8 km away at Orser Road, at the spot where the K&P trail leaves the City of Kingston and enters Frontenac County.

That group included a woman on a horse, a number of cyclists, including South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison and his grandson, and a runner or two.

The horseback rider was the official participant in a riding, biking and running relay to usher in the trail opening, and she carried an old railway spike that had been unearthed a couple of years ago as part of a trail cleanup. Everyone else was just there to enjoy the trail.

The trail runs straight and smooth past farmland, some rural houses, and the occasional wetland (i.e. swamp). A couple of kilometres in, the bike portion of the relay started, and the spike was passed, but the relay was really a convoy at this point, as runners, cyclists, and horseback rider alike continued along.

The running section was last, up a gentle 2 kilometre stretch from the bridge over Millhaven Creek to the spot where the K&P joins up with the Cataraqui Trail and heads towards Harrowsmith, where it crosses Road 38.

Walkers were supposed to join the convoy at that point for the last kilometre of the relay, but there were none to be found. So, Gary Davison and his grandson pedaled off to find them. Fifteen minutes later a couple of people could be seen ambling down the trail, followed by a few more. The convoy moved forward to meet them, and by the time the group had made it within 500 metres of the finish line, they collided with a larger group of politicians, trail fans, and others, and everyone headed off to the finish line together.

By the time the entire crew reached Road 38, there were about 50 people waiting for a chance to cross over Road 38 and get down to the speeches, ribbon cutting, and cake eating - the normal stuff of official openings.

Warden Janet Gutowski spoke of the trail as a new form of transportation corridor for the future of Frontenac County. "Residents once used the K&P on a daily basis and I can't wait to see that happen again,” she said. “People will be able to enjoy the wonderful and diverse natural environment, whether they are using it for recreation, fitness or active transportation.”

Member of South Frontenac Council were out in force, Other speakers included the aforementioned Mayor Davison, as well as Councilor Allan McPhail, who is the chair of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority and a member of K&P Trail Committee, Councilor Del Stowe, who is the chair of the Catarqui Trail Committee, and Councilor John McDougall.

Also on hand were representatives from Pillar Financial and Robinson Investments of Sharbot Lake. In a gesture of support, Mathew Robinson announced that the company will be donating $5,000 per year for 5 years to help bring the South and Central Frontenac portions of the trail to fruition.

The K&P railway line was a unifying feature for Frontenac County 120 years ago. The nine stations in Frontenac County were the transportation corridor that brought settlement, and economic opportunity, up the line from Kingston to Snow Road and on to Renfrew.

The opportunity proved fleeting, and Canadian Pacific Railways eventually took over the line about 100 years ago. As the 20th Century wore on and roads replaced rail lines as corridors for the transportation of goods and people, the K&P faded away.

Its rejuvenation as a trail has been a long-term goal, both in Frontenac and Renfrew Counties. The northern section, from Sharbot Lake to Renfrew (about 130 kilometres) is intact, and managed by the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance, and the piece within the City of Kingston is also intact and managed as a non-motorized multi-use trail.

It is the section from Orser Road at the southern edge of the County up to Sharbot Lake, a sporadic mix of informal trails and rights of way that run through lands or next to lands owned by sometimes reluctant, and sometimes downright oppositional landowners, that is under development. It is in this context that South Frontenac Township and Frontenac County became involved in bringing a trail to fruition several years ago.

The first phase of a three-phase plan for the South Frontenac portion of the trail is what was opened last week.

There are now about 12.5 kilometres of trail open in South Frontenac, from Orser Road to Petworth Road (between Harrowsmith and Hartington), and there are over 28 kilometres left to complete to bring the trail up to Tichborne.

The final 8 km. section, from Tichborne to Sharbot Lake, will pose a particular problem because portions of the railway right of way in that section have been sold off to the adjacent landowners.

The K&P trail implementation plan only says “Route to be determined in reference to that particular section.”

But none of the these sometimes daunting problems dampened spirits in Harrowsmith last week, where there was a strong feeling that the way to proceed is clear, work hard to solve one problem and to finance one section at a time, and just like the old Kick and Push Railroad, eventually there will be a 180 kilometre trail from Kingston to Renfrew, which will not only unify Frontenac County but will also provide a crucial link between the Trans-Canada Trail at Sharbot Lake with the Cataraqui and Rideau Trails to the south and east.