The new Shirley Langer Trail was unveiled in a ceremony Thursday afternoon.
The trail is an extension on the existing Kiwanis East Bayshore Trail to the east, connecting it to the former Bakelite property on Dundas St. East.
It is named after former Belleville mayor Shirley Langer who served as mayor from 1992 to 1995.
Langer is known as a strong advocate of environmentalism, something that continues through the new trail.
According to the City of Belleville, the trail is designed to reduce the environment impact.
This includes trail lighting that is specifically designed to limit light pollution to ecosystem diversity and wildlife.
There is also a plan to allow wildflower meadows to grow alongside the path and help rejuvenate the area.
Of the eight-metre-wide trail, three to four metres is paved and the gravel will be groomed to provide off road bicycle use during the spring, fall and winter.
The first phase of the project was completed in the late summer of 2021. Phase one included removing some of the trees, replacing culverts and surfacing the trail and parking lot with gravel.
The second phase began in early 2022 and included trail/parking lot lighting and asphalt paving. The work was completed this past fall and the trail has officially opened to the public.
“This trail is the first of its kind here in Belleville,” said Manager of Operations Planning and Development, Transportation & Operations Services Rowland Cave-Browne-Cave in a release.
“The unique design will allow for year-round activity with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months, and off-road cycling in the spring, summer and fall months. We are also pleased with the environmental aspects of the trail. As we take a closer look at our green spaces, the focus on preserving our ecosystems and the natural state of these areas is of the utmost importance. We look forward to exploring more projects like this in the future as we aim to be a ‘greener’ Belleville.”
The citY has also purchased a trail groomer which it says will create ski and snowshoeing trails during the winter season.
