Lampman residents and town guests are to benefit from a beautiful new walking path.
The Town of Lampman has set up a trail, which starts at the west entrance of the town near the flower bed and ends up at the Elm Lawn Cemetery south of town. The route was staked for easy access.
The markings will guide walkers through different routes for changing weather conditions and lengths to accommodate everyone.
Town administrator Dena Scott said that the project was in the planning stage several years ago, but never came to be until now.
"It was brought back up because some of our new council members felt this would be a great addition to our community," explained Scott.
The whole route is six kilometres. The shorter options are about three kilometres. The walk crosses the swale on the north side of Lampman and the town plans on eventually adding a bridge there. To ensure trail safety and esthetics, town council members cleaned out the trees and cut the grass in the park for a greater experience with a scenic walk. As time progresses the hope is to develop the path even further.
"The committee is hoping, at some point, to possibly put up signs with historical information about Lampman and the surrounding district along the path," Scott said.
There will be rest areas along the route with garbage cans for walkers' use to keep the pathway clean.
"The rest areas will eventually have benches set up along the path and a picnic area with a picnic table," Scott noted.
The town council has formed a committee to look after the walking path.
"We have established a committee consisting of Jay Jones, Daryle Runge and Randy Fleck from town council to get things started, but we are looking for community volunteers to help out with ideas and suggestions to make this project a success," says a RM of Browning and Town of Lampman Facebook post.
Scott added that the town council's committee is taking care of the walking path now. But they hope that volunteers will soon join the committee to help with upkeep and provide suggestions and ideas on how to improve what they are in the process of establishing.
Council also noted that the newly set path has been used by ATVs and dirt bike riders, which is worrisome as it may affect the quality of the path for runners and walkers.
"We ask that you please refrain from going on the path (on ATVs and dirt bikes). It is bringing up stones and making it difficult to walk on," says the post. "The Town of Lampman is looking into something for the ATVs and dirt bikes to utilize, so stay tuned for that."
Further plans for the path are currently in discussion. The project may potentially turn into a year-round activity space suitable for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. However, no decisions have yet been made.
"Community interest and volunteer help will most likely determine whether it will be a year-round project. If there is interest in utilizing this path for activities such as snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, the committee would look into ways of accommodating this," Scott said.
In the meantime, the committee is asking the community to take an active role and reach out to the town office at 306-487-2462 or to any of the committee members with any comments or suggestions.
"Being a small community, we are always looking for ways of helping keep our citizens engaged and interested in the community by providing them with different options and opportunities to get out and enjoy our town," Scott said.
