February 25, 2004
$3.7 million check from U.S. Rep. Candice
Miller for the Macomb Orchard Trail
Expanded hike-bike trails planned for Macomb
By Chad Selweski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
An ambitious plan to create nearly 300 miles of hike-bike
trails that would criss-cross Macomb County is on the drawing
board and facing public scrutiny at a series of forums.
The Macomb County Trailways Master Plan would build on the
success of the bike path on Metropolitan Parkway and the anticipation
over the upcoming Macomb Orchard Trail, which will span 24
miles of the county's northern townships.
Daniel Smith, a trailways advocate and a Warren city planner,
said a network of trails would provide recreational opportunities
for all generations that would link urban and rural areas."If
we have these links, I live in Warren and I could get on my
bike, get my kids on their bikes, and head up to Macomb Township
all in one afternoon," Smith said.
The first forum to discuss the master plan, held last week
in Warren, was attended by about 90 people.The master plan
envisions trails in every corner of the county: on Jefferson
Avenue in St. Clair Shores and Chesterfield Township; in the
Detroit Edison corridor, stretching from Warren to Shelby
Township; along the Clinton River and Red Run Drain; on 12
Mile in Roseville and Warren; on 26 Mile, linking the Stony
Creek and Wolcott Mill metroparks, and then proceeding north
through Wolcott Mill parkland to join the Macomb Orchard Trail
near Armada.
This blueprint, designed with a 15- to 20-year effort in
mind, would add 278 miles of trails to the county.The proposals
were submitted by the cities and townships. The county, along
with a consultant, is facilitating the process of creating
a unified plan. John Crumm, a county planner, said coordination
is key.
"Everybody has to be on the same page so that when the
trails come to community borders they connect," Crumm
said.
The county also plans to contribute to regional trailways
by connecting the Macomb Orchard Trail to the Paint Creek
and Clinton River trails in Oakland County, which will flow
into other paths reaching to West Bloomfield, Oxford and Leonard.
The Macomb Orchard Trail may eventually converge with St.
Clair County's planned Bay-to-Bridge Trail, which would extend
from Anchor Bay near New Baltimore to the Blue Water Bridge
in Port Huron.
By drawing up a master plan, Macomb County will enjoy a considerable
advantage over many other counties in the state and nation
when seeking state and federal grants.
The county's biggest federal funding success yet was celebrated
Monday at a Washington Township ceremony where officials gathered
to accept a $3.7 million check from U.S. Rep. Candice Miller
for the Macomb Orchard Trail. The Federal Highway Administration
money provided the last remaining funds needed to start the
project.Miller, a Harrison Township Republican who played
a key role in creating the Metropolitan Parkway trail in the
1980s, said the county is right to focus on hike-bike paths
as a "quality of life" issue. The trails are unique,
she said, because they attract seniors walking for exercise,
mothers pushing children in strollers, joggers and bicyclists
of all ages, and young people on in-line skates.
"We know what we are. We may not be a particularly glitzy
county, but we are a family-friendly county," Miller
said.
When completed, the Macomb Orchard
Trail will follow the path of the former Canadian National
Railroad tracks from Shelby Township through Romeo, Armada
and Richmond.
The first section of the trail, from 24 Mile and Dequindre
to 29 Mile and Van Dyke, will be paved in the spring and open
in June. Plans call for completion of the entire 24 miles
as early as 2005 or 2006.
Beyond the Metropolitan Parkway path, most of the county's
existing 45 miles of trails are located in three large parks:
Stony Creek Metropark in Washington Township, Dodge Park in
Sterling Heights and Riverbends Park in Shelby Township.
Building new trails always raises obstacles. In many cases,
those paths not located on abandoned railroad tracks require
painstaking efforts to buy small strips of land from dozens
of property owners.
The path planned along the Red Run Drain in Warren and Sterling
Heights will require a difficult land acquisition process.
In addition, while the project enjoys strong support from
city officials, residents along the path express fears about
crime, vandalism or vagrancy.
"There's always some resistance. People are always concerned
about change in their neighborhood," said Smith, the
city planner. "But I lived about a block away from a
trail when I lived in Illinois and ... people loved it.
"The Macomb County Trailways Master Plan will be discussed
at three forums, each held from 7 to 9 p.m.: tonight at Camp
Rotary, 20505 29 Mile, Ray Township; March 3 at the Clinton-Macomb
Public Library, 40900 Romeo Plank, Clinton Township; and March
18 at the Chesterfield Township Hall, 47275 Sugarbush.
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