After nearly a decade of persistence, a service club's "legacy project" has been completed.
The Rotary Club of Yellowknife has officially completed the Rotary Club Boardwalk, located at the entrance to the Dettah ice road in Old Town.
The boardwalk has been under construction since 2007. During the almost decade long process, members of the rotary club have been adding to the project every fall to ensure it stays unique and up-to-date with the community.
Kam Hogan, president of the club, said although the ribbon cutting will not be ready until the spring, she is pleased with the end result and urges members of the community to look over and appreciate the eight years worth of hard work.
Yellowknife Rotary Club president Kam Hogan, left, and Chuck Tolley walk along the recently finished Rotary Club board walk on Tuesday.
“This is why I am so committed to Rotary in our small cities,” said Hogan.
The project is a joint funding effort between the Rotary Club of Yellowknife and the City of Yellowknife. It's different from the many boardwalks rotary has created around the city. It includes five benches on top of the structure, each bench has been sponsored, and engraved with the name of one of benefactor's loved ones.
Former city councillor Bob Brooks, who was active during the early stages of the boardwalk, said the element of community was an important aspect in the building process.
“We were working close with the City of Yellowknife,” said Brooks, a member of Rotary since 1994. “Everyone was willing to work on it as a team.”
This installation of the boardwalk was part of a country-wide rotary initiative where Rotary clubs would give back to their respected communities.
The hope was for the boardwalk to be ready by last spring to celebrate, Canada 150. However, due to weather conditions and the process in making the boardwalk handicap accessible, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will not be done until the spring.
Brooks, who moved to P.E.I earlier this year, said many people have already praised the work.
“Some residents say they go on the boardwalk two or three times a day,” said Brooks. “They find it a great nature walk.”
The boardwalk is estimated to be 500 metres and ends at the lakeside of Rotary Park. Hogan said if it wasn't for the City of Yellowknife the legacy project would not have happened.
Rotarian Chuck Tolley said it was truly a joint effort between the service club and the Yellowknife community.
“The most rewarding part for me was the congeniality of working with people around the community,” said Tolley. “We don't come into a project highly organized ... Peter Vician would tell us what we needed to do to make it work, however, we would find our own way on how to do things.”
The City of Yellowknife also contributed roughly $50,000 in materials for the boardwalk.
Hogan said the partnership between the city and the rotary club and City of Yellowknife was a driving force in completing the project.