Destroyed Millennium Trail in Wellington to be restored and re-opened early summer

– Sue Capon photo

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
Details of the restoration of a section of the Millennium Trail in Wellington were outlined at a public information centre Thursday evening held at the Wellington and District Community Centre.

The restoration is needed as a result of the recent Wellington trunk watermain and sanitary sewer project which largely destroyed a part of the trail from that runs between Cleminson and Belleville streets.

This part of the trail has been closed to the public due to the construction and installation of the trunk watermain, and was further delayed in January when groundwater infiltrated the work area on the final sections of the installation.

County staff, including David MacPherson, Manager of Engineering, and Chris Timpson, Project Manager, were on hand to walk attendees (a few dozen, some of whom live close to the trail) through the handful of display boards set-up in the Highline Hall. They also answered questions.

The County shared plans for the restoration efforts, (including tree replacement) it intends to undertake which are expected to be completed by early this summer, once the construction phase finally wraps-up (expected to be very soon).

The preliminary restoration plan identifies things like the replacement tree species of those trees impacted by the construction, as well as the planting location, which will meet the requirements of the municipality’s Tree Management and Preservation Policy.

In total, there will be 155 trees and shrubs planted of varying sizes and types.

The majority (96) will be 50-millimetre calliper coniferous trees, made up of basswood, ironwood, red maple, tulip tree, Kentucky coffee tree, thornless honey locust, red oak, common hackberry and chinquapin oak.

Thirty-seven larger (150-millimetre calliper) coniferous trees will also be planted, including red pine, eastern pine white, white spruce and tamarack.

Twenty-two five-gallon shrubs (red osier dogwood and black chokecherry) will join the trees.

Several attendees said they were pleased with the tree selection and the planting placement along the trail, although a few were concerned about timing. Some worried about who would water the newly-planted trees, adding that a spring planting timeline wasn’t ideal, especially if the weather continues warm and dry. They indicated how fall planting would be preferable.

As well, disturbed trail areas willer to be restored with topsoil and seed to re-establish vegetation. The trail surface is to be restored using 150-millimetre of crushed limestone to match the existing trail surface and maintain a consistent user experience.

“The municipality is also working with local trail user groups to establish pollinator-friendly planting areas within selected sections of the disturbed corridor.”

The new trunk watermain and trunk sanitary sewer in Wellington are being constructed from the location of the existing water and wastewater treatments plants to the east along Wellington Main Street, north on Cleminson Street, east along the Millennium Trail, and then connect to the new water tower on Belleville Street. The project also includes a new sanitary pumping station located on the Millennium Trail near the intersection with West Street.

While the municipality has revised the project timeline due to the unforeseen construction delays, the project is still expected to be completed (including all restoration) by the end of June 2026, noted MacPherson.