MUSKOKA LAKES — A request to open a snowmobile trail hit a snag at a recent Muskoka Lakes committee meeting.
The 2.6 kilometre trail, known as the Oka Colonization Road, located west of Bala off of Tower Road, could provide a more convenient connection to the Muskoka Lakes Snow Trails Association’s 144 kilometre trail system, said association president Rene Leenaars.
Currently, riders must wait for Long Lake to freeze to connect across the trails, he said.
According to Leenaars, the Oka Colonization Road was used as a snowmobile trail from the 1960s until the 1990s, when there was a disagreement over landownership.
The township and the Muskoka Lakes Snow Trails Association have invested thousands of dollars in legal fees and hours of time to establish a right of way for the trail, said Leenaars.
There is considerable history regarding the Oka Colonization Road, how it was established, questions of ownership and land swaps that took place, said public works superintendent Len Troup in a report to council. The township ownership process started in 1999 and was finally completed in 2006, he said.
The intent back in 1999 was to construct a snowmobile trail on this road allowance, however it was never finalized, Troup said.
The association now has a $50,000 provincial grant, which requires work to be done on the project by March 31, 2011, said Leenaars. The grant is from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and administered through the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, he said.
Leenaars believed the association had all the required documentation for approvals at a committee of a whole meeting on Dec. 15, but the township requested more information.
The township requested a detailed site plan and work plan for the proposed trail on all
municipal lands; written confirmation from the Ministry of Natural Resources that it has no objections or concerns to the proposed snowmobile trail; proof of liability insurance and written confirmation from the Muskoka Lakes Snow Trails Association indicating that all costs for the development and maintenance of the new trail will be its responsibility.
Troup admitted the requests could be considered excessive, but he explained there have been similar issues in the past where objections from the public or other government agencies have arisen after municipal approval.
“The development of trails on public and private lands has been controversial in some cases,” said Troup. “These conditions are necessary to protect the Township’s and the public’s interest.”
Leenaars said the snow trails association would return to a council meeting in January with the requested information to move forward with the trail construction.
Once the township approval is given, he expects it could take a couple of weeks to complete the work.