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By Jaryn Vecchio

City Approval

N.B. Council approves snowmobile trail into city, private landowners still need to give green light

Aug 22, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The City of North Battleford is one step closer to getting a new snowmobile trail.

The Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club proposed the idea to the city’s council on Monday which received approval.

This new path would go directly into the city, allowing riders to access different accommodations such as hotels, gas stations, and restaurants.

“Now (the club) must go and speak to private landowners along the proposed trail, but they at least know that the city is very supportive,” said Mayor David Gillan.

Proposed trail from Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club. Red line indicates new trail, while green line indicates existing trail. (Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club)

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He explained the city needed to approve having the trail cross municipal roads, which they did. It’ll only become a reality if the private landowners give the go-ahead.

The main reason the Snowmobile Club proposed the new trail was to accommodate riders taking part in the 2023-2024 Provincial Snowmobile Festival. North Battleford will be hosting the event from Feb. 23-25, 2024.

“It goes without saying that it’s going to be a very good event for bringing more economic development into the city and exposing our great city to people who may not have been here before,” said Gillan.

He added this new trail should be a huge benefit to these riders which would only make their experience in the city that much better.

Meanwhile, North Battleford’s Water Tower will soon be able to light up in different colours.

Council approved Xtremeaxis Inc. installing the new LED lights on the building. They proposed doing the work for around $120,000 which was nearly $60,000 less than the other bid the city received.

The company also proposed starting on Sept. 4, 2023, with expectations of finishing up on Sept. 15. This was around one month quicker than what the other company had proposed.

“That was more of a nice to have, really it was the low qualifying bid,” said Gillan.

The city was able to stay within budget thanks to a donation from Cenovus Energy. Gillan didn’t say how much the donation was, but explained it definitely helped them buy full-colour spectrum LED lights.

“We want the ability to change the colours based on the occasion or the time of the year,” he said.

North Battleford city council’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2023.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow