During a meeting of the Lawrence to Waihola Clutha Gold Trail extension group on Wednesday, master trail designer Tim Dennis, of Southern Land Co engineers, was officially engaged to oversee the planned $9.6 million, 63km project.
Mr Dennis is responsible for the design of several trails around Queenstown and his home town Wanaka; the 310km Alps 2 Ocean trail from Mt Cook to Oamaru; and the 73km Clutha Gold Trail from Roxburgh to Lawrence.
Extension group chairman David Vollweiler, of Waihola, said the group was "delighted" to have secured the services of the "world class" designer once more.
"We’re feeling very pleased to have someone of Tim’s expertise leading this project. It’s good to get going."
The key to the project’s success now was securing adequate funding, Mr Vollweiler said.
"We lodged an updated funding application to the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) last week, and indications are it will be processed within six to eight weeks. The final decision is down to [Minister for Regional Economic Development] Shane Jones, but he was very positive about the project during his visit in April this year, so we remain cautiously optimistic."
Mr Vollweiler said he believed other support would be found if PGF funding failed to emerge.
"We’ve been granted $1 million by Clutha District Council recently, which has allowed us to launch this design phase, and several more generous local businesses, community groups and individuals have already stepped up to contribute. We’re very lucky to have excellent community support behind us."
That support extended to 34 landowners granting easements across their properties, arrangements which would now need to be "formalised", Mr Vollweiler said.
In the first phase of the project, Milton’s northern entrance would be linked to a trail section already built by construction firm Calder Stewart opposite its headquarters outside the town.
However, completion of the whole trail would be phased in three subsections, and take "several years".
Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan praised the group’s efforts in reaching this stage, and said he was "hopeful" the project would secure PGF funding.
"We believe we’ve collectively provided a comprehensive and constructive case [for funding] we hope will prove hard for the Government to resist. This project will only become a reality through the tireless work of a small group of passionate people ... It’s a privilege for council to assist them, and our district will be richer thanks to them."
