• Charity formed for track support
The Central Otago District Council has earmarked $100,000 in its draft annual plan for general trail maintenance in the coming year and the matter will be discussed when the council hears submissions on the plan tomorrow.
A total of 115 submissions have been received, of which 17 are about the money set aside for trails maintenance - five in favour, nine against, and three neutral.
Council parks and recreation manager Mathew Begg has prepared a report for the council on the topic.
He said the district had 130km of trails, excluding the Otago Central Rail Trail, and maintenance was conservatively estimated as costing $1000 per km.
A further 70-80km of trails were proposed.
The council realised maintenance of the trails would be a challenge in the future.
Mr Begg listed 11 trails in the district focused on the Clutha River, ranging in length from 53km to 400m, and three proposed trails.
He said the council had provided capital funding for the development of several trails and also contributed to the maintenance of some.
''Benefits of the trails tend to vary, depending on the size of the trail and the community it is located in.''
A survey done in 2010-11 revealed the Otago Central Rail Trail was estimated to generate $12.3 million for the economy of inland Otago every year and supported 96 jobs.
As well as delivering economic benefits, trails were also beneficial to the health of local residents, who used them for recreation, Mr Begg said.
The council currently contributed $33,560 a year to maintain the 12.8km Alexandra to Clyde Millennium Track and $7500 was given to the Teviot Walkways Committee for maintenance of trails in the Teviot Valley.
''Future funding for repairs and maintenance is uncertain for many of the new tracks with models currently being worked on to generate some income from users through passports, merchandise sales and having maintenance contribution, '' he said.
Although the Clutha Gold and Roxburgh Gorge trails had been collecting funds by way of a maintenance contribution tag, it was too soon to tell if this would generate enough income to fully fund the maintenance work.
Maintenance would cost a minimum of $1000 per km of trail.
The rail trail was already sorted, as its repairs and maintenance were funded by the trail trust and the Department of Conservation.
On other trails, volunteers were responsible for much of the maintenance work so far but that might not be sustainable long term, he said.
If the council set aside $100,000 a year as a base fund for trails' maintenance, tracks would be kept to an acceptable standard and meet visitor requirements, the spin-off would be economic benefits, and groups might be able to continue to maintain tracks in the future, rather than the burden fall back on the council.
The disadvantages of having the fund were that it would be another burden on a limited ratepayer base and demand for the fund would increase as more tracks were developed.
As the trails were mostly in the Clutha River catchment, funding could be from rates across that area, so it would involve only the Vincent, Cromwell and Teviot Valley wards.
Otherwise, it could be spread across the whole district, which would allow Maniototo-based trails and proposed trails to apply for funding, Mr Begg said.
