A group of high school students in Greater Sudbury recently celebrated their hard work finishing a safety shelter for snowmobilers. It is one of five to be added to the local trails this winter.
The students from Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School in the Hanmer community worked on the 8-by-12 insulated shelter before it was made ready to be moved to a snowmobile trails.
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“I never gave up or got frustrated if I ever did something wrong,” said student Carter Connell.
“I just restarted because there was a lot of measurements you had to take and a lot of people messed up on that.”
Between 40 and 50 students worked on the structures starting back in September each using their various skills and abilities.
The school’s co-op teacher, Paul Mailloux, told CTV News that the students learned a lot of skilled trades.
“(Trades) are super in-demand nowadays,” he said.
“They did everything from welding, fabricating, framing, the design on the computer, the wiring, insulation. So basically, everything that goes into a house went into this.”
Mailloux called it a great experience for his pupils.
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The Sudbury Trail Plan received $75,000 from the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation to pay for the supplies to build five new shelters and they also brought together three local high schools and two local colleges for the construction.
The new shelters will be strategically placed across the trail system and will provide a space for snowmobilers needing a break or to warm up.
“Not everybody wants to go to restaurants,” said the trail plan’s district manager, Gerald Sanders.
“It’s great for families. You can go there, pack a lunch, have your lunch out on the trail. You’ve got a place to get warm.”
Doug Pearl of the Valley Trailmasters Snowmobile Club echoed Sanders’ enthusiasm.
“There will be 250 people visit that every day – on weekends I mean Saturdays, Sundays,” he said.
“They go in, they bring their small children, they can warm up, they have their lunch. They actually can warm up a sandwich on the fireplace.”
With the recent dumping of snow and some cold weather ahead, officials with the Sudbury Trails Plan said it is only a matter of time before the new shelters will be in use by snowmobilers taking advantage of the winter weather.
Students at Bishop Alexander Carter built a similar shelter in 2022 which sparked the idea for these five new builds.
