Seven supporters have stepped forward with an offer to inspire donations towards construction of the Okanagan Rail Trail.
During October, all donations to the rail trail will be matched up to $500,000. This incentive has the potential to more than double the number of metres funded to date.
“We were inspired by the excitement created by the summer matching campaign and wanted to do something similar in the fall,” said one of the donors.
The Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative is attempting to raise $7.8 million for the recreational corridor from Coldstream to Kelowna.
The second stage of trail construction is estimated to cost $2 million for preparatory civil work, including environmental, drainage, erosion protection, and rock scaling.
“This is a very important preparation stage for the construction of the trail. It will ensure that the rock cliffs along the lakes are safe, that all environmentally sensitive areas are assessed and protected, and that proper permitting is in place for continued work on the trail,” said Dev Fraser, with the ORTI.
“This work will expedite and lower the costs of the trail construction itself.”
Funds have been raised to cover stage one — $500,000 for access control and design work.
Donations can be made at okanaganrailtrail.ca/donate or by contacting the Community Foundation of North Okanagan at 250-542-8677.