More than 120,000 visitors travelled the Prescott and Russell Recreation Trail last year, a record number for the increasingly popular recreational trail. (SRPRRT)

Celebration was the theme of this year’s annual general meeting for the group that looks after the Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail.

Last year saw the number of visitors using the recreational trail at more than 120,000, “which was a record” according to Eric Collard, executive director for the Sentier recreatif Prescott and Russell Recreation Trail group (SRPRRT).

“We had a very good year this year especially with the snowmobilers,” said Collard. “We had a much better winter turnout. More people are getting to know about our trail.”

Over the past five years, the SRPRRT has invested about $1 million in trail maintenance and upgrade work. Funding support for the group’s trail work comes through a variety of local, provincial and federal grant programs and other sources of revenue.

The non-profit recreation group’s focus this year is on continued trail improvements, including plans for resurfacing the 300-foot section of the trail that comprises the former Plantagenet rail bridge. Collard indicated that feature of the trail has great historical value to the area.

“That structure is more than 100 years old,” he said, adding the wood-and-steel structure dates back to when there was regular rail service through the region.

Continuing work on signage improvement along the trail and also increased marketing of the trail to attract more tourists from other parts of Ontario and outside of the province are also priorities on the trail group’s agenda.

Concern about the future for the trail because of the proposed high-speed rail project that ALTO wants to build linking Toronto to Quebec City is a big concern for the group. Collard said the topic was not included in the regular agenda for last month’s annual general meeting but noted that “ALTO was the cloud over the meeting.”