West Michigan Trails & Greenways Fall Update

Check out the West Michigan Trails & Greenways Fall Update for many exciting local trail happenings. Click HERE

Trail links Kentwood's Paul Henry, M-6 pedestrian paths

KENTWOOD -- Work being wrapped up now will link two busy trafficways: the M-6 pedestrian path and the Paul Henry Trail. The final project, under Kent County jurisdiction, rebuilds a bridge under 60th Street near East Paris Park. It will link the M-6 path along 60th to the Paul Henry Trail at Wing Avenue SE. Charlie Ziesemer, parks and recreation director, said the connection will open up the Paul Henry -- already probably the busiest trail section in the city -- to even greater use. With the link, people can visit East Paris Park, then walk or bike to the Paul Henry Trail or along the M-6 trail.

City leaders hope to see another trail going north through Plaster Creek to connect with Stanaback Park, north of 44th Street. "I don't think we could ever have enough trails," said Kendall Klingelsmith, deputy parks and recreation director. That's what residents seem to think. Results of the 2005 parks master plan update show residents have one request when it comes to the trails: More, please. "We've become more focused on becoming a walkable community -- not just for exercise and health benefits, but so people can get from point A to point B without having to get in their cars," Klingelsmith said.

The parks master plan includes a wish list of trails and how they could connect. The city recently completed the second phase of the east-west trail that stretches between Division and Kalamazoo avenues, north of 52nd Street. Now, staffers want to find a way to connect that trail with the Paul Henry, which runs in a southeast direction from 44th to 60th streets between Kalamazoo and Wing avenues.

"We need to find a good way to connect those two," Klingelsmith said. Grants and community development block funds helped pay for previous trail projects. "We're always looking for ways to expand our trail system," Klingelsmith said. "It's such an important part of fulfilling our parks and recreation department mission."

Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press
E-mail Theresa McClellan: tmcclellan@grpress.com

West Michigan Trails & Greenways Spring Update

Check out the West Michigan Trails & Greenways Spring Update for many exciting local trail happenings. Click HERE

Caledonia Paving!!

Paving has begun north of Caledonia in Kent County. Click on "Photos" on the header bar for more shots. Thanks to Laura Knight at Caledonia High School for the pictures. This picture was taken on Wednesday, October 29th at Kraft Ave near 92nd St looking northwest. The new pavement extends from Main St in Caledonia northwest to 76th St. Another section of trail is being completed along 60th St from the Wing Ave trail head to East Paris Ave. Plans are moving forward to bridge the gap between these two sections. The section of the M-6 Trail that begins near the Wing Ave trail head is also nearly complete. Trail users can take this to Division Ave in Cutlerville. The M-6 Trail also extends from Clyde Park Ave to Kent Trails. Plans are in development to complete the M-6 Trail between Division Ave and Clyde Park Ave. When the these gaps are filled riders will be able to ride all the way to Millennium Park and John Ball Park Zoo from Caledonia and Kentwood without hardly having to use any surface streets. Other plans being worked on include connecting Kent Trails to the Musketawa Trail and White Pine Trail through Walker as well as connecting Caledonia to Middleville and beyond on the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail. A regional trail network is beginning to come together.

Middleville Trail Closure

Just a reminder that the Middleville section of the Paul Henry-Thornapple Trail is closed during the month of November due to firearms deer hunting season.

A Note from the West Michigan Trails and Greensways Executive Director

It's Fall, a beautiful season and a great time of year to get out on the trails for some wonderful color tours!
We hope you are enjoying the Trails & Greenways around western Michigan!

Did you know...
1. Many of the trails are developed and maintained by individual citizen's groups?
2. Many communities & townships support the trails and contribute to their development?
3. It take approximately $75 to cover the cost of constructing one foot of trail?
4. Trails & pathways are safe alternatives to motorized transportation for commuting?
5. Trails & pathways are a safe route to schools for many?
6. You are a key piece of the ongoing work to build new trails and maintain existing ones?
Visit our website: www.wmtrails.org to learn more about West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition, and to learn how you can be a partner with us.
Visit www.networkforgood.org to make a tax-deductible online donation to West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition.

Thank you for using the trails -- and, thank you for supporting our work.

West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition
P.O. Box 325 -- Comstock Park, MI 49321

Please take a moment to complete this brief survey. We want your input...
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=aNxiRQuyX83CD2nbib_2fZDg_3d_3d
Thank you.
--
Sharon R. Nunnelee
Executive Director
West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition
4658 West River Drive
Comstock Park, MI 49321
616-485-7805 (cell)
westmichigantrails@gmail.com

Message from the West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition

Dear West Michigan Trail Supporters:

As we get geared up for 2008, we can reflect on many great accomplishments from 2007. We completed our $6-million Phase I capital campaign, we were able to get another 28 miles of blacktop on the ground, we're in our new office right off the White Pine Trail at 4865 West River Drive, and we are celebrating several new executive board officers.

We need your help!

Help us jump start 2008 with a donation to the West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition. Simply go to www.wmtrails.org/2007/join_up.htm and click on Give Online. The Coalition has teamed up with Network for Good to make your online donation quick and simple. We'll even send you a reminder of your contribution at tax season next year.

Please forward this message to friends and family who want to be a part of trail and greenspace success in West Michigan in 2008.

Sincerely,

Dennis Kneibel
President
West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition

Exciting News from our Friends at the White Pine Trail

Update 9/20/07

We are very happy to report that the paving of the trail to Sand Lake is done! Dean Wall of Dean’s Excavating reported that his paving crew finished the final layer of asphalt on September 19th. His crews are completing the trail shoulder restoration which involves grading the shoulders so they slope away from the trail then raking them out and applying hydro-seed to prevent erosion. During the upcoming weeks they will be replacing signs and doing the final steps needed to wrap up the project.

The Friends of the White Pine Trail would like to recognize the extraordinary work that Dean and his company did on the trail. The project was completed ahead of schedule and the final product is something we can all be proud of. Dean noted that one of the unexpected benefits of the trail paving project was all the excitement and enthusiasm that he received from trail users he happened to talk to. If you have not yet ridden the trail north of Russell Road I would encourage you to do so soon. There has been a steady increase in trail usage since the paving began as a whole new group of trail enthusiasts use the section that was only gravel before.

Group Raises $6.4 million for West Michigan Trails

Just over a year after setting the lofty goal of raising $6 million to help fund recreation trails in West Michigan, Dave Heyboer and Peter DeBoer have reason to celebrate. Two weeks ago, the pair had secured $6.4 million in contributions, money that would provide local matching funds needed to leverage $18.4 million in federal and state funds for nine trails in West Michigan. "No one ever dreamed it would happen that quick," said Dave Heyboer, president of the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition, which got its nonprofit status in 2005 and kicked off its capital campaign in February 2006. "We thought it would take two to three years to raise that money. Two years ago we didn't know if we'd survive another day."

The group's ambitious principals have been talking up the idea of building 150 miles of new trails in West and Mid-Michigan by 2008, creating a 14-county trailways system. Having the local match in hand now would begin to make the long-term dream possible of eventually building or connecting 510 trail miles in 20 counties. Peter DeBoer, executive director for the coalition, said the coalition raised $4.7 million in private contributions from foundations, corporations and individuals. Another $1.7 million was pledged from townships and counties. "The Meijer Foundation proved to be key," said DeBoer. "Because after we got $1.2 million from the Steelcase and Frey foundations, Meijer said: 'You still have a long way to go.' "He offered us a dollar-for-dollar match up to $3 million." The Meijer match tops his previous $1 million pledge to leverage state and federal money for paving the White Pine Trail to Cadillac -- an offer accepted by the state which required that the trail be named after Fred Meijer.

Eight more miles of the White Pine are slated to be paved this summer from Russell Road north to Sand Lake and the Kent County line. State officials say it and the group's other projects will move ahead despite the recent state moratorium on distributing grant funds issued March 29 by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. That moratorium was one of several to deal with state cash-flow troubles. Building projects, however, funded with "pass-through" federal dollars and funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund are "exempt" from the moratorium, according to Dennis Fedewa, chief deputy director for the Department of Natural Resources. A project also could be exempt from the moratorium if it contributed to job creation. "Any past-due funds or projects under way or where there are commitments for work to be done will continue," said Fedewa, adding that isn't guaranteed for operations funding. Heyboer, also president for the Friends of the White Pine Trails, said his group of volunteers will continue to do trail maintenance even if those funds are not available

Paving on the White Pine Trail is expected to begin in mid-July, according Troy Rife, a recreation planner in Cadillac who is spearheading the effort. "If we get authorization to proceed in the next two weeks, we can bid it out and begin construction July 15th," he said. "If not, it gets moved back two weeks." The trail will paved with a special harder-than-normal asphalt formulation designed to withstand the rigors of studded snowmobiles. The additional $50,000 or so in costs for the material will be covered by the state snowmobile fund. The $10,000 required to develop the material was provided by the Michigan Snowmobile Association. "It's an important contribution," said Bill Manson, with the MSA. "We figured why spend all that money on trails and not do it right. This will hold up under the duress of studs."

DNR state parks chief, Ron Olson, said he is enthusiastic about being able to move forward with this project. "It will be nice to get it moving and have it provide some benefits to the trail users," he said. Olson said it has taken several days to get official clarification about the types of projects covered by the moratorium. Earlier this week, DNR staffers were saying that federal and state funds for White Pine and other trails might be held up until the end of September. DeBoer and Heyboer said that gave them a scare. Heyboer had made a trip to Lansing before New Years to deliver a $202,000 check to Olson to cover the local match needed for the eight-mile paving project. The promised bid dates for the contract already had come and gone with no action. The moratorium, if it applied to coalition projects, would mean losing another building season and setting their three-year plan back at least a year. "It's a relief to know that the approved projects will go forward," said DeBoer. "People ask me all the time, when it will be paved. The White Pine is a popular trail and this should benefit those communities north of Rockford."

By Howard Meyerson - hmeyerson@grpress.com
Grand Rapids Press Outdoors Editor
Friday, April 13, 2007
Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press ©2007

Trespassing Issues

Once again it has come to our attention that people are using sections of the trail corridor that are not currently open. While some closed sections of the corridor are owned by the Thornapple Trail Association or Barry County, others are not. Some portions of the corridor are privately owned. In either case no one should be out there without permission. We have also received complaints that people are trespassing on privately owned sections of the corridor and are hassling the land owners when told to leave. This type of behavior does nothing to leave a favorable impression of the trail with the adjacent land owners. Respect signs on the trail. Someday we may wish to purchase an easement from someone. It’s a lot more difficult to do so from someone who doesn’t like you. Please refer to the map on this web site and stay off the sections marked in red. Thank-you.