Yellowknife (June 20/03) - The City of Yellowknife is planning to build two new parks on Latham Island at the end of Otto and Lessard Drives and want to connect the parks with a boardwalk.

Residents of Watt Drive dislike the obstacle to water access and fear hikers will vandalize and litter on their properties.

While Old Town residents duke it out with the city, Yellowknifers talk about whether they would use a boardwalk circling Latham Island and how often they use the Frame Lake Trail.

Mike Rarog uses the trail a couple of times a week and likes the idea of a Latham Island path.

"I do a lot of jogging and what-not, so the more trails we got to use and the more diverse, all the better," he said.

Ranelle Larocque shares a similar opinion.

"We've got good trails now, but I think we could definitely use more," she said. Larocque hasn't been using the Frame Lake Trail too often, but said that will soon change. "I'm just getting into (running) so it's been, so far this summer, about three times."

For tourists only

Rom Dee said he only uses the trail when he's with his children.

"If I take the kids out, probably three times a week," he said.

However, Dee would only use the Latham path if he had the time.

Erik Chan would probably not use the boardwalk at all.

"I have no reason to go down to Latham Island," he said.

However, he thought tourists might use it.

"It would probably look nice for the city, but I don't think I would use it myself."

Chan walks along the Frame Lake Trail, since he doesn't have a drivers license.

"It's a lot quicker to cut through there," he said. "No traffic or anything."

Jinette Markowski also uses the trail everyday. She said she would probably not use a Latham Island boardwalk.

"I live uptown so I usually don't go down to Latham Island."

A New Historic Landmark

Charlie Legge said having a Latham Island boardwalk would be a good way to remember Yellowknife's history.

"Since Latham Island is supposed to be the original -- it's what Yellowknife was built upon," Legge said. "I guess it would be nice in that sense."

Legge said that he tries to go for a walk everyday, but not necessarily along Frame Lake.

Karen Wright-Fraser uses the trail as often as she can.

"Last summer I used to use it every evening for exercise," Wright-Fraser said. "This summer I haven't got that far yet."

She said she would walk along an Old Town boardwalk for the scenic view.

Terry Pamplin holds a different view. He doesn't think it would be as scenic or as nice as the path around Frame Lake.

"I might not be tempted to walk around the waterfront since it would be so close to people's yards."

Pamplin is curious about the proposal the city has put together since "it's also probably going to impact on some of the commercial water space."

He would prefer if the city put a walkway between Yellowknife and the Giant Mine complex.

"That could be the new public access to the waterfront since there is no habitation at all around (there)."

He adds that "it'd be a lot less disruptive."