Coquitlam will ask for senior government help to pay for part of the Lafarge Lake loop trail upgrades.
Monday, city council OK’d the grant bid for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program - COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream, an initiative by the provincial and federal governments of which $136.5 million is allocated for capital projects in B.C. that will start and end this year.
In its application, Coquitlam will seek about $700,000 for the work along the Town Centre Park trail, specifically the west side of the loop called the Urban Walk where many civic events are staged such as Canada Day and Lights at Lafarge.
Already, the city is building a washroom along the Urban Walk, behind the Evergreen Cultural Centre, for the public; however, funding for that $80,000 project can’t be covered by the grant, wrote Don Luymes, Coquitlam’s general manager of parks, recreation, culture and facilities, and Michelle Hunt, general manager of finance, lands and police, in their report to council.
As a result, the city’s portion for the Urban Walk update will come from the density bonus reserve.
Once complete, the renewed Urban Walk will have wider, repaved paths around the north end of the lake, and more lighting throughout the walk.
According to the staff report, the Urban Walk is “envisioned as a dynamic transition zone between the urban development of the City Centre and the calm of [Town Centre Park]. Its design language is modern and urban but provides the first views of the lake as people arrive from the city and move towards the heart of the park.”
The update of the entire lake loop trail is part of the Town Centre Park Master Plan, passed in 2018. Last March, the lake loop concept came before council to consider more accessible features to increase capacity and improve safety.
And last October, another report came before council with more refinements; the proposal for a bridge to the north island was nixed over concerns that it would damage the natural habitat.
