July 25, 2012

Medicine Hat College students, staff and visitors alike will soon have expanded trails to enjoy on the MHC campus.

Thanks to a recent $100,000 gift from the Sunrise Rotary Club, the Trails and Trees project is underway with a target completion date of spring 2013.

“Sunrise Rotary has been actively looking for an opportunity to make another enduring investment in our wonderful community,” said Jace Anderson, past president of Sunrise Rotary Club. “This Trail and Trees initiative really excites our club.”

The newly named Sunrise Rotary Trails and Trees initiative will provide access to the natural surroundings and link nearby student residences and all other major destinations throughout campus. It will also provide linkage to the existing Saamis Coulee Trail, Kin Coulee Park, and the City of Medicine Hat’s bike lane on College Drive.

The 3.5 kilometre trail will also include training equipment at various stops, enabling users to exercise in many different ways along the path. MHC students will also develop learning opportunities throughout the trail with interpretive signs and learning opportunities.

“The Sunrise Rotary Trails and Trees initiative will benefit our entire community,” said Deanna Haysom, development officer at MHC. “We are offering another way for citizens to get out, be active and enjoy our beautiful campus. This is a great community service project for Sunrise Rotary because so many people will enjoy the end result.”

Sunrise Rotary Club is donating $100,000 over five years to the project, of which $25,000 will be deposited into an endowment fund to assist in the upkeep of the trail. The college is also adding to the endowment fund and in total is contributing $200,000 to the project. Other donors include the Southern Alberta Summer Games committee, which gave $25,000 to the project.

The Sunrise Rotary Club will also be recognized along the trail with plaques telling their club’s story and a dedicated bench. Club members will also have the opportunity to help assemble the trail with MHC students.