WATERLOO - Imagine a glittery, glow-in-the-dark path winding along Waterloo Park.

Many council members were thrilled at the idea of this inventive upgrade to a small portion of trails around the Perimeter Institute in uptown Waterloo.

The project's high cost of $806,000 caused a bit of hesitation, but Waterloo's finance and strategic planning committee unanimously approved the project at a Monday meeting.

"This is more than just a pathway. This is a piece of public art," Coun. Diane Freeman said.

Staff pitched the idea of using glow-in-the-dark aggregate concrete on a 300-metre-long segment of trails during already-approved trail upgrades set to start this summer.

It will look like ordinary concrete during the day and light up in a pattern at night, adding an extra safety measure to the trail that will hopefully also draw more visitors, staff said.

The glowing stones use solar power, but some versions also use black light at night to maintain a glow. The amount of extra electricity needed at night will vary depending on how long it will be lit up.

"It's a very ambitious idea . but we don't know how these things hold up in snow," Coun. Mark Whaley said.

He was concerned about the impact snow-clearing and salt will have on the pricey project.

"There is a potential for high operating costs."

Staff said they won't have details on how the stones will fare in the face of winter maintenance until they pick a specific product.

"We have a lot of experience with aggregate concrete in Canada," Freeman noted. "I actually think an aggregate like this is going to hold up much better than some stone."

Half of the project funds have already been approved. After Canada 150, a federal funding program, rejected a bid to pay for the other half, staff asked council for the rest. The extra cash will come from the Uptown Development Reserve Fund.

Two possible spots for the glow-in-the-dark path are being considered around the Perimeter Institute. One is on a path between the institute and Silver Lake, and the other is an open space north of the institute. In the latter case, the glowing section will take up about 1,200 square metres.

Staff plans to collaborate with the Perimeter Institute to come up with a pattern that reflects the institute's work.

"We're paying homage to our community and the future of our community with this," Coun. Melissa Durrell said.

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The idea came from a project in the Netherlands, where a bike path is lit up like Van Gogh's "Starry Night" painting. Staff said Waterloo's glowing path will be a first in North America.

Trail upgrades are expected to cost $1.4 million, not including the glowing stones.