While a Miramichi group tried to save Morrissy Bridge for pedestrians, they couldn't get help from N.B. Trails Council to do it.
In order to get advice from the council, the city has to be a member, but when their membership expired they never renewed it.
N.B. Trails Council representative John Copp said his group works with communities to develop trail systems as part of their membership.
"If you're not part of the organization I guess you're not interested."
N.B. Trails Council works to build new trails throughout the province, enhance existing ones and act as a liaison with the Natural Resources and Tourism Departments.
Membership gives access to resources and is important because members can talk to people who have experience developing trail systems, he said.
"You can spend your time tripping and falling over yourself or go talk to the people who've had success."
Copp said the application process is easy and the trails council wondered why the city didn't renew theirs when it expired.
"We sent them a membership application. We were just wondering why they weren't members."
Miramichi Public Works director Frank Duffy said the city's membership expired about a year ago and they are in the process of renewing it, although he didn't know why it wasn't done last year.
"I don't think it was purposely. I think it was probably missed."
During Monday's city council meeting, Duffy told councillors his department was submitting the application to become N.B. Trails members, which will cost $250.
"We just informed them we were signing up again as members of the N.B. Trails Council as sponsors."
Duffy said his department received the application about two weeks ago and the city should be members again within a week or two.
"It would be almost immediate, I would say."
Copp said N.B. Trails Council membership gave other groups around the province access to resources they otherwise wouldn't have had.
"The key to that is, [is] the city interested?"
Other cities have had success in their attempts to build trail systems, including Fredericton where they converted a train bridge for pedestrian use.
Since the Morrissy Bridge closed in September, a local group has been fighting to save it from the wrecking ball. They succeeded in getting a temporary reprieve while they wait for results of an engineering study of the bridge's structural integrity.
Copp said if the Morrissy Bridge can be saved, it would become a part of a larger trail system.
"It's like a stepping stone approach."
The trails council can give the city networking opportunities in the same way organizations like cities associations do, he said.
"It's the same process that we're trying to put into place."
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