The lack of a property agreement is holding up full construction of the City of Terrace’s $1.4 million showcase project extending its pedestrian and cycling pathway paralleling Hwy16 westward to the Kalum River Bridge.
Crews are nearing the stage where the rest of the 1.5 kilometre trail can be paved but there has been no activity along the 190 metre frontage of the Kalum Motel.
The city is declining comment on next steps, citing the confidentiality of property negotiations.
“The city is currently in talks with the property owner regarding the land use. So, to respect that process and those conversations, we don’t have any comment at this time on this,” said city communications official Tyler Clarke in a provided statement.
Clarke invoked Section 90 of the Community Charter which permits local governments to keep matters quiet regarding “the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the [city] council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality.”
Work on the extension, which is called the Skeena River Walk and is the final leg of a years-long project called the Grand Trunk Pathway to construct a pathway from downtown Terrace to the Kalum River Bridge, began this summer.
From the beginning of work, the Kalum Motel section was not marked out in bright orange fluorescent paint to guide excavation equipment.
While a land agreement may be lacking, the final pathway design includes the Kalum Motel section, the project was budgeted and the construction of that section was included in the contract awared to Uplands Nursery. And the city has purchased all the supplies needed for that section, Clarke said.
The Kalum Motel property stands out because it is the only piece of private property through which the pathway would travel.
The situation is further complicated because the Kalum Motel property extends right to the edge of Hwy16.
That’s different from the rest of the pathway route which is being constructed on right-of-way owned by the provincial transportation and infrastructure ministry, which provides a buffer between the highway and adjacent landowners.
“This construction is being done with their permission,” said Clarke of the ministry.
Any agreement reached between the motel and the city would not affect the stated cost of the pathway as any monies required would come from a separate lands acquisition budget maintained by the city, he said.
The Kalum Motel property was singled out as far back as 2018 when the city commissioned a feasibility study that provided the groundwork for the project. The study itself was an update of one prepared in 2008.
“Due to property boundaries, there is not a feasible option to avoid this conflict ….,” the feasibility study stated of a route through the property.
“Based on preliminary engagement of the property owners, alignment through this section was maintained as close as possible to Highway 16 as possible to reduce impact on existing commercial vehicle access.”
The cost of this final leg is $1.4 million and is being financed by a series of provincial grants.