SPRINGHILL, N.S. – Ninety-eight-year-old June Henwood’s vision has come to life.
“Part of my idea was to be able to walk the whole way around the pit pond and, although I haven’t walked it yet, apparently you can now,” Henwood said.
Henwood attended the grand opening of the Springhill Pit Pond Trail on July 27.
She thanked Kenny John Jackson for helping make her dream come true.
“Kenny John worked really hard to make this happen,” Henwood said. “It’s great to see it finished.”
The trail around the pond features links to downtown Springhill and to McGee Street and, also, bridges, a fountain, lookouts extending out to the pond, and a bandstand in the park located next to the path.
“The bandstand is really nice,” said Henwood.
About 20 years ago Henwood drew a map with features she would like to see around the pit pond and how she would like to see it developed.
In 2008, she showed the map to Jackson.
“I remember the day my husband came home, and he said he met with June and she gave him this plan and she said, ‘Kenny I’ve tried to do this, and I’ve done everything I can, it’s yours now,’” said Maryanne Jackson. “She handed it over to him about 10 years ago and he’s gone through three levels of government, a dissolution for the town of Springhill and, finally, we were able to get it off the ground.”
Last summer the government of Nova Scotia provided a $50,000 grant to the Springhill Communities in Bloom committee, of which the Jackson’s belong too.
The money came from the province of Nova Scotia Connect2 grant program.
The $50,000 grant covered 50 per cent of the cost of the $100,000 trail construction, with the other $25,000 provided by the Municipality of Cumberland County, $12,500 raised through various fundraisers, and $12,500 provided as in-kind work.
Work on the trail started in early Sept. of 2018.
“We worked as long as we could last year until we got chased out by the snow, and then we started up as quick as we could in the spring,” said Kenny John Jackson.
The wet spring and summer slowed construction down.
“We didn’t have the weather on our side, and also, it was raining all the time and we couldn’t get on it with the machinery, but once we got on it we went to town and got it completed.”
Jackson says a lot of people used the trail during its construction and he hopes they continue to use it year-round.
“The community centre is telling me that they’re going to try to keep it going all year-round, so people can snowshoe, cross-country ski, or coast down the hill,” said Jackson. “We have a bandstand that we’ll have power too, so we can have coasting parties with hot chocolate and hot dogs, so I’m hoping it will be a gathering place for many years to come.”
Jackson thanked all the volunteers who helped see Henwood’s plan come to life.
“My biggest fear was that June wouldn’t get to see it,” said Jackson. “I’m glad she was able to make it today.”