¶ COLLIE Shire will investigate the circumstances behind damage to the Wagyl Biddi mountain bike trails network off Venn Street East.
The Collie MTB Association last week submitted a report to the shire, detailing what it estimates to be $9800 in damage caused over 255 metres of trails as a result of fire mitigation works.
“The Collie MTB Association has contacted both the Collie Shire and the Wellington DBCA in relation to the trail damage,” the association confirmed via a statement.
“The Collie MTB Association is working with the shire and Wellington DBCA to determine the best path forward from here.”
The report itemises damage to six trails, including damage to trail surfaces and berms.
It notes the damage at some points is so significant that portions of trails are no longer observable, while signs were also removed and dumped on the ground.
Damage to the Townie Trail, in particular, is detrimental to local trail usage and trail tourism, as it is the most utilised trail within shire boundaries, not including the Wellington Dam networks, the report states.
Resolutions suggested by the association include that the shire fully fund the repairs, facilitating consultation between the association and contractors, or provide funds to the association so that it might directly organise the repairs.
The association has also requested a meeting with the shire to facilitate greater collaboration and prevent similar events from happening moving forward.
Shire president Ian Miffling confirmed the shire is looking into what happened.
“It’s under investigation by the shire administration and we’ll get a report on that in due course,” Cr Miffling said.