Trail into town looks close to a done deal

HARBOR, Inc. agrees to fund solutions to lingering easement issues along M-119

After some four years of working to get the non-motorized trail (bike path) from its current dead end at Pleasantview Road into Harbor Springs, the HARBOR, Inc. board of directors approved allocating money that should solve lingering easement problems along M-119 and allow MDOT to begin construction next summer.

At its September board meeting, HARBOR, Inc. directors voted unanimously to allocate up to approximately $45,000 to address easement and safety issues which should clear the way for the path along the north side of M-119 all the way to Lake Street in Harbor Springs.

“I think we’re done,” HARBOR, Inc. executive director Danna Widmar told the approximately 20 gathered board members last Wednesday morning. “The local portion of this has basically reached conclusion. While we don’t have an exact construction date, we expect sometime in the summer of 2009.”

The approximately three miles from Pleasantview Road to Harbor Springs will see a trail that, in many spots, is a decent distance from the highway, thanks to donated easements by property owners. A few property owners refused to grant easements. The trail will run along the MDOT right-of-way in those cases and will require white delineator pipes to be placed as a safety measure, something recently required for such trails located in the right-of-way.

One of the more challenging sections of trail was the portion that runs in front of the Broken Ridge property development and neighboring properties. The land is owned and controlled by Dick Shepherd. His son Rick also owns a home on one of the adjacent properties.

The Rick Shepherd property includes a garage that fronts very close to the highway and the right-of-way. It is also directly across the highway from Bridge Street. That posed a particular safety concern as cars turning left on Bridge can result in trailing vehicles trying to go around and into the right-of-way.

Without moving the garage, users of the trail could be in danger from careless drivers trying to get around vehicles turning on Bridge. The majority of the money allocated by HARBOR, Inc. will be used to either move or re-orient the garage to improve the easement and trail location there.

Additional HARBOR, Inc. monies will be used in part to help relocate the berm and landscape in front of the Broken Ridge development. There is some state and federal money that can be used in that effort, Widmar said, but it will not cover the entire landscaping relocation.

“While it has taken a long time to finalize this stretch in front of the Shepherd properties, I do give (Dick Shepherd) credit for putting in the time. Some property owners just said ‘no’ and refused to take the time to work on solutions,” Widmar told the board.

The other challenging stretch is along the Wequetonsing Golf Course. The Michigan Department of Transportion plans to build drainage structures there to handle the water, Widmar told the board, and is still working on finalizing the exact dimensions of those structures. Once that is set, the exact location of the trail can be determined. She indicated that Wequetonsing is open to moving the fence and some of the cedars along the edge of the property to solve the drainage problem and improve the trail.

State and federal grants totaling some $950,000 will be used to fund the construction of the trail, Widmar said. HARBOR, Inc. plans to apply for additional funding to use in its portion of the project, but board members noted that may have to come out of the organization’s general fund.

“So when you look at the big picture, what we are putting in from the local funding side is a relatively small amount. However it addresses things that are not covered by the government grants, and they are things needed to get this trail done right.

“This is going to be a really nice trail,” she said. “It has absolutely been worth the effort to get something done right. When something is done wrong, it is almost impossible to ever fix it.”

Credit was given to Widmar’s efforts by the board. She also noted the hard work of Little Traverse Township supervisor Bill Dohm and future (and former) Harbor Springs mayor Al Dika, as well as the Trails Council.

For more information, contact HARBOR, Inc. at 231- 526-5060, info@harborinc.org or www.harborinc.org.

-Charles O’Neill

This is part of the September 24, 2008 online edition of Harbor Light Newspaper.

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