An extension project geared for 2008 on the Polly Ann Trail could cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $600,000. But thanks to a pair of grants and a donation, the township will likely be responsible for less than 12 percent of that cost.
The Parks & Recreation Department has secured a grant worth over $330,000 from the Michigan Department of Transportation. A Greenways Initiative grant approved by the township board over the summer totals another $75,000.
Parks & Recreation Director Rock Blanchard, who has been working on acquiring funding since late 2004, said these two grants are contingent only on the township following the proper guidelines.
‘It turned out, I’m glad it did,? Blanchard said. ‘Things don’t always turn out the way you hope, but this one did.?
In addition, Consumers Energy recently donated $100,000.
Those sums mean that the township’s total match, for the current project estimate of $578,000, is just over $68,000.
Blanchard said the real winners are the people that will have the trail come to them.
‘It connects the Polly Ann Trail with our park,? he said, referring to Civic Center Park. ‘Plus, people that live in the central and southwest part of the township will now have access to the trail.?
The project included the purchase of abandoned railway property, construction costs and engineering costs.
‘The issue with engineering is that you can’t get grants to cover it,? Blanchard said, noting the Consumers Energy donation will help to offset that cost.
‘These are all estimates,? Blanchard said. ‘If we put it out to bid, it could come back higher or lower.?
The most expensive piece of the project is paving the existing trail from Heights Road all the way to Waldon Road.
‘It’s just a long section,? Blanchard said. ‘It’s a couple of miles long.?
‘Everything is going to have a limestone surface similar to the Paint Creek Trail,? he added. ‘It will be a nice trail.?
The paved trail will run behind Civic Center Park and Township Hall, cross Waldon, then continue west, behind Waldon Middle School, up to Baldwin Road.
Blanchard said that though the trail is not in its finished stage yet, many people have been using it already.
‘Our research shows that a lot of the people that use the Paint Creek Trail live within two miles of the trail,? he said, noting trail use could spike similarly on the Polly Ann.
‘There are already people that use it, but once it gets resurfaced, there will be many more people that use it,? he added.
Blanchard estimates that construction will begin in the spring of 2008 and that the project should be completed a few months after that.
There are many other projects on tap in the coming year for the Parks & Recreation Department, including the skate park (which should be finished near the end of the summer season) and the amphitheater project (which received a $50,000 donation from Pulte Homes at last week’s township board meeting, see this web edition for more details).
‘We’re going to be busy this year,? Blanchard said.
In addition, Blanchard said the department will team with the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority to host a National Trails Day event in June.
The event has been held in Rochester the past few years, and was last in Orion about seven years ago.
‘It’s a nice event,? Blanchard said.