Editor,
We would like to comment on Mr. McIlwaine's letter opposing the Macdonald Place Trail ["Proposed trail will ruin cul-de-sac," The Chief, Oct. 23]. From our own experience the presence of a community trail enhances our community. Like Mr. McIlwaine our family also purchased a house in a non-through street neighbourhood. The difference being that we already had a trail right beside our property.
In the six years we have lived beside this trail there has been no crime of any sort that we are aware of, certainly none that has affected us. As proud residents we do from time use our doggy bag to pick up garbage left on the trail.
A few times since we have lived here we have had to ask groups of youth who have stopped on the trail late at night to move on. They seem to respect the fact that the police simply weren't called and have always moved on.
What we do witness on an almost daily basis is kids using the trail to get to the school bus, mountain bikers raving about their latest ride as they make their way home and the best is the almost daily giggles and ahs of young families with their children stopped on the bridge to observe the salmon, ducks and other wildlife.
The presence of a trail nearby gives us a frequent opportunity to meet and interact with people who are not our direct neighbours. All we can say is, why not give it a try for the greater benefit of our community.
If for some reason this connection results in different consequences for your neighbourhood than the Judd Trail has for ours then perhaps it should be decommissioned.
Another point we would like to make is that to our knowledge the cost of this trail is born by the developer's amenities obligation and is not a taxpayers' expense.
Sharon and Shawn Gosnell
Brackendale
