Trail building continues with extra-territorial agreement between regional districts

PENTICTON – A joint agreement between the Regional District Thompson Nicola and the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen will provide consistent trail maintenance for an important section of the Kettle Valley Trail north of Princeton.

Regional District Okanagan Similkameen staff made a request to the board Thursday, March 10 to execute a license of Occupation on the Kettle Valley Railway right of way between Osprey Lake and Brookmere.

Staff also noted an 11 kilometre section of the trail passes beyond Okanagan Similkameen boundaries into the Thompson Nicola, but because that regional district does not have a trails program, an extra-territorial service agreement would need to be signed which would see the Okanagan Similkameen maintain the trail at Thompson Nicola’s cost.

Staff argued the agreement would be advantageous from a trail user’s persecutive because it would provide a consistent trail maintenance standard and way finding signage to and from a key destination, that being Brookmere. It was also noted from a trail promotional perspective, it would be better to provide a destination to a trailhead than an isolated location mid-trail.

The board agreed to recommendations to execute a 30 year license of occupation on the right of way in addition to entering into an extra-territorial agreement with the Thompson Nicola Regional District.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.