Some of you have asked for clarification regarding the $80,000 price tag proposed for building a community trail through the new Rainbow Ridge land.

Our budget is based upon meeting the best safety specifications possible (a must for public access on Rainbow Ridge). Secondly, the 1000 meters of trail will be 6 feet wide, to accommodate 2 persons walking side-by-side, and to create space for Covid social distancing when passing others. While we welcome volunteer energy on the project, our initial intent has been to pay fair wages and support local craftspeople in the process, based upon the following quotes and estimates:

$20,000 Local tree limbing & tree removal, firewood & chip production
$20,000 Path creation, stump & brush removal, 6 foot wide with gravel & chips
$20,000 Park benches (5), local wood & carpenters, with concrete anchor blocks
$ 5,000 Insurance during construction & 3rd party liability annual public assess
$ 3,000 Culvert purchases, delivery & installations for trails over open ditches
$ 3,000 Trail signs installed in concrete, you are here maps, bench plaques
$ 9,000 Project co-ordination, bookkeeping & administration

Administration costs cover those who are working to organize and move the whole Rainbow Ridge project forward, sometimes by leaps and bounds and sometimes by inches and yards, a portion of these staff costs are included in each subproject along the way.

And so it goes…many balls to juggle to build even a simple trail. A trail that honours and protects the integrity of the land as well as the creatures and critters who already live there, as well as serve the human needs of the community.

Thanks once again to all our generous donors and supporters of Rainbow Ridge and this Trail Initiative. Their gift to Cortes is a legacy of free public access to a new trail that will bring much enjoyment to all who wander and travel these paths.

E-mail me via sandrawoodtwincomm.ca if you have any other questions about this project.

Sincerely, Sandra Wood, CHS Executive Director, on behalf of the
Cortes Island Seniors Society (CISS) & the Cortes Community Housing Society (CHS)