School asks city to help pay for ramp to winter river trail

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This article was published 24/10/2023 (770 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A private girls school in central Winnipeg is asking city hall to help pay for an aluminum ramp that gives students and residents access to a winter river trail.

Balmoral Hall covered most of the bill when a seasonal ramp to the Assiniboine River was built and installed on its campus in January.

The riverside school recently submitted a request for land dedication reserve funding, which would cover an amount — $12,550 — not offset by donors.

“Although situated on land owned by Balmoral Hall School, our winter river access ramp is not enclosed on school grounds,” spokeswoman Jennifer Pawluk wrote in an email. “As a non-profit organization, we submitted a land dedication reserve funding request because we believe this project benefits all city centre residents.”

In its funding application, the school said it made cuts to “other areas” of student programming in order to install the ramp.

City staff are recommending the funding request be denied because it doesn’t meet eligibility criteria.

Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) said she will ask the city centre community committee to waive the criteria at a meeting Wednesday.

“This really will provide people with another way not to bum it down a hill,” the Balmoral Hall area councillor said, referring to those who slide down snow-covered riverbanks to access the frozen river. “It’s an important parks and recreation fixture.”

Rollins is expecting lower committees and council to waive the criteria and grant the funds to Balmoral Hall, which is following the lead of a different school in the neighbourhood. “I expect it to run the course because it’s not a radical step to understand the frozen river as a parks and rec amenity.”

When installed, the ramp is located on school-owned land on the Assiniboine’s north bank. It provides access to the Nestaweya River Trail from Cornish Avenue.

In its funding application, Balmoral Hall said construction of the professionally built, high-quality ramp and one-time costs, such as signage and special tools, totalled $17,800.

The school was initially approached with the idea by the Armstrong’s Point Association, but it was unable to cost-share once the project’s high price tag became clear.

Armstrong’s Point residents and the school community donated $5,250. Balmoral Hall (630 Westminster Ave.) wants the city to cover the remainder of the initial costs.

The school, which is responsible for all future costs and off-season storage, decided a ramp was necessary after students enjoyed winter outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To expand the ‘outdoor classroom,’ teachers started taking students onto the Assiniboine River, but quickly discovered that accessing it was very difficult — often because of deep snow and unsteady ground,” the application states.

Balmoral Hall decided to move forward with the project last year, even though it didn’t raise enough money to cover the full cost, because winter was fast approaching and there would be a positive impact for students and the community, according to the application.

“We are pleased that a safe access point now exists for students and neighbourhood residents to access the ski and skating trails, resulting in the creation of a physical legacy for recreation activities in Winnipeg.”

City of Winnipeg staff said the funding request does not meet two criteria for land dedication reserve funding.

One section sets out how funds are to be used to acquire land, develop properties or construct or renovate facilities for parks and recreation purposes.

The funding must also create or continue a “physical legacy” of parks and recreation facilities for the city, a staff report states.

“Specifically, the project is not located on city parks and recreational lands,” city spokesman Kalen Qually wrote in an email.

In 2021, Westgate Mennonite Collegiate, located in Armstrong’s Point, purchased a similar ramp for river access. City council later waived the eligibility criteria and provided $12,000 to cover the cost.

The public service recommended Westgate’s request be denied because it failed to meet the same criteria.

Jim Perchaluk, president of the Armstrong’s Point Association, said Balmoral Hall’s situation is no different than Westgate’s.

He was among those last year who used Balmoral Hall’s ramp, which was constructed by the company that built Westgate’s ramp.

“It is accessible. It’s a nice way to get down to the river,” said Perchaluk. “It’s a nice community-builder.”

Previously, people would slide down or “grapple” their way up, which wasn’t ideal for children, older people or those carrying equipment, such as cross-country skis, he said.

The Nestaweya trail had three official access points, including The Forks, while spanning six kilometres of the Assiniboine and Red rivers last year. Residents set up a number of makeshift entry points to access frozen rivers.

Rollins has advocated for more entrances to the winter river trail. Some locations are not suitable due to safety concerns, she said.

Kathrin Moncaster, who used Balmoral Hall’s ramp last winter, said she and fellow river trail-users would welcome more access points that are accessible and safe for everyone.

“The more options, the better,” said Moncaster, who uses the winter river trail to cycle to and from work. “It beats sliding down the bank of the river on your butt.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching