Lake Country completing last payment to Kelowna for rail trail section
Lake Country is about to make the last hefty payment owing on the 15-kilometre stretch of the Okanagan Rail Trail that runs through the municipality, to the tune of $875,000. The municipality didn’t have all the funds required to obtain the trail section in 2015, so the City of Kelowna...
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Lake Country is about to make the last hefty payment owing on the 15-kilometre stretch of the Okanagan Rail Trail that runs through the municipality, to the tune of $875,000.
The municipality didn’t have all the funds required to obtain the trail section in 2015, so the City of Kelowna stepped in and purchased it with the agreement the town would pay the money back and take over full ownership.
The debt will be cleared on Sept. 30, according to a staff report going to the district's council this Tuesday, Sept. 20.
“The rail trail has been a key community initiative for a number of years, and this represents the final payment from the district in securing 100% ownership of this portion of the trail,” according to the report.
The Okanagan Rail Trail runs along an old CN rail line from Kelowna to Coldstream and is popular with walkers and cyclists.
A 2.3 km stretch north of Kelowna's airport to Lake Country is still disconnected and is a source of controversy as the grand opening of the Okanagan Rail Trail was almost four years ago.
READ MORE: Why the Okanagan Rail Trail is still not complete two years after official opening
The section is located on Okanagan Indian Band Reserve #7 and is still under the jurisdiction of the Canadian National Railway until the federal government completes an Additions to Reserve, transferring ownership to the band.
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