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CBS hopes Ottawa will help replace Seal Cove trestle

By Craig Westcott/November 11, 2021

CBS council is applying for federal funding to repair the old trestle in Seal Cove and finish the last four kms of T’Railway through town.

Councilor-at-large Christine Butler, who chairs council’s economic development and tourism committee, said the money, if the town gets it, will help cover repairs to the inner part of the shoreline around Seal Cove Pond where the trestle is located.

The fund, which like many federal programs has an alphabet soup type of name, in this case the Disaster Mitigation and Adaption Fund, was created to help communities and provinces deal with climate change.

Butler said the cost of the project is $1.33 million.

“It remains a goal of council to complete the final four kms of the T’Railway from Doyle’s Road to Indian Pond and upgrade it to the standards of the 14 kms of developed trail our residents and visitors have come to enjoy,” Butler said. “The area is also popular for boaters as a key access point to enter Conception Bay at Seal Cove Pond.”

Butler noted the Town completed the engineering plans on the final four kms of the T’Railway back in 2020. That’s when it was deemed the trestle at Seal Cove Pond, which was originally built in the late 1800s to support the weight of railway lines, ties and trains, needs to be replaced. 

“During the storm events over the last two years, the shoreline of both Seal Cove Pond inside the trestle as well as the trestle walls have become compromised,” Butler said. “If successful, the funding application to the Disaster Mitigation Fund will provide up to 40 per cent of the funds to replace the trestle, stabilize the shoreline inside the trestle at Seal Cove Pond and complete upgrades to the final four kms of the T’Railway. The Town will then work to secure the remaining 60 per cent of funds required to complete this work. Staff continue to explore any and all cost-sharing opportunities for this project.”

Mayor Darrin Bent said it “would be fantastic” if the Town can get the disaster mitigation funds. “The people in the Seal Cove area of town have waited a long time to get the groomed trail out there and get that trestle fixed, so that it’s approved and useable,” he added.

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