Tommy’s Arm River Bridge

As you may be aware, The Hazelnut Hiking and Adventure Trail, which is roughly 10 kilometers long and a GEM in our backyard, has been featured in the Downhomer magazine as a must-see point of interest in Central Newfoundland. Started in 1999 with initial funding by ACOA and officially opened in 2001, Robert`s Arm completed most of the work, including two bridges, during that time. The third bridge on the trail, which spans Tommy's Arm River, was put in temporarily at the time of the opening and was to be replaced with a permanent structure during the funding round the next year. Policies changed, however, with ACOA deciding not to put any additional financial support toward trails and with no money to replace anything, the temporary bridge solution became the permanent link across Tommy's Arm River.

The Hazelnut Hiking and Adventure Trail is multi-purpose, being utilized by walkers, hikers and photography buffs, snowmobilers, ATVers, for trouting, boating, canoeing, and salmon fishing, just to name a few, and has been extensively used by locals, visitors and tourists alike to rave reviews. Extensive use of the trail over the years however, coupled with damage sustained by Hurricane Igor in 2010, has meant deterioration of the temporary Tommy's Arm River Bridge. Despite repair and patch-up efforts by residents over the years, the only option in its present condition is that it be replaced. Therefore, with all other angles exhausted, a volunteer committee of concerned citizens has taken on the task to raise funds to finish what was started in 1999 and put a permanent link across Tommy's Arm River for tourists and residents who use the trail on a regular basis.

Volunteer Committee Members Carl Paddock (Chair)                               Harold Payne Doug Winsor (Co-chair)                          Harold Oake Darlene Terry Payne (Secretary) Sandra Oake Trixie Fudge Gail Hewlett Angela Paddock Rosalind Winsor Mike Parsons Sherry Mitchell Fred Parsons Lily Rice

To Make an Online Donation Click Link Below https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=43JHCPB4H3NRW Donations can be made using a PayPal account or with your credit card. Any donation over $10.00 will be eligible for an official income receipt. We greatly appreciate all donations made to help support our goal in constructing a permanent bridge across Tommy’s Arm River.

The estimated cost for the new wood and steel bridge is approximately $100,000. At present, we have $20,000 on hand from fundraising and donations, and the town has been approved for a Job Creation Partnership (JCP) project which will be used for work on the bridge. The groundwork has also been completed as the bridge plans, Environmental and DFO approval have already been obtained, so we are well on our way. With raising the money the only step remaining our group is committed to getting the job done and seeing the project come to fruition. We are continuing fund-raising efforts with various events in the town and establishing a Facebook page along with this web page for donations and support. We have also decided to appeal to the surrounding business community whom we continually support. The committee respectfully requests your support and is hopeful that you can and will join us in this worthwhile venture by donating to our cause. Persons, businesses or organizations who make a donation can be acknowledged on a plaque on or near the bridge and we hope you will become a member of the Tommy`s Arm River Bridge honor roll.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit the Hazelnut Hiking and Adventure Trail we invite you to take the time to do so and see for yourself why we are so passionate about finishing this project. If you have already experienced our beautiful trail, we are sure we will see you again.

You can view the trail online at www.robertsarm.com, and to make a tax deductible donation to Tommy`s Arm River Bridge (TARB), you can also contact the Town of Robert`s Arm at 652-3331/3082.