Carbonear trail could use some attention: Noel

By Chris Lewis/August 12, 2021

A walking trail in Carbonear has not been getting much love, and the Town hopes to change that.

On the Tuesday Aug. 10 council meeting, councillor Ray Noel raised concerns about the Dr. Davis Earle Trail, which was initially dedicated in 2020.

Dr. Eric “Davis” Earle was a scientist originally from Carbonear whose career included a pivotal role at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, which was built underground in an active mine. The observatory was used to study sun particles called neutrinos.

Although the trail has been open now for over a year, Noel reported it was getting little usage this year.

“Very few people have walked it, if any,” he said.

As Noel pointed out, as trails like this get little use, they can get overgrown rather quickly. This is something, Noel said, the Town’s staff will try to address in order to attract more walkers.

Mayor Frank Butt inquired as to whether the trail had its own official grand opening, to which Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Cynthia Davis said it did not, stating that COVID-19 regulations got in the way of such an event at the time.

“Might be something you want to look into now,” she suggested.

This was a point that Noel said he appreciated, not recalling himself whether there had been an official opening or not.

Noel said he would look into the idea, hoping it will stir up a little more attention to the under-used trail.

“We’ll see if we can make it happen,” he said.