Ortonville- The village council has put the brakes on further research or action on a proposed trail concept for village property, for the time being.
Rick McAvinchey, a resident and member of the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy, proposed a trail on 40 acres of village property adjacent to the Crescent Hills subdivision during a council meeting last November. At that time, members of the council voiced interest and support for further research into financing such a trail. McAvinchey and Lois Robbins, also a member of the NOHLC, began their quest. But after repeated opposition from Crescent Hills property owners, the project has slowed, and at the May 29 meeting, councilmembers called for a halt on further research until they receive a legal opinion from Village Attorney Gary Rentrop.
‘We’re getting in too deep,? said Councilmember Marcy Hanes. ‘We’re not ready for a plan.?
Hanes was responding to a suggestion by McAvinchey that the council develop a land management plan, a forest stewardship, to set goals for the property over time to decide what activities would be appropriate on the land.
He was stopped soon into his presentation by Hanes, who said she didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, or have money spent and more meetings on something that may not go through. Other councilmembers agreed.
However, Larry Hayden said it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a plan for how to manage the property. When Hanes said a straw poll should be sent to the residents of the subdivision to gauge whether they supported a trail on the property, Hayden said such a poll would need to be sent to all the residents of the village.
The original proposal involved a trail that would begin at Mill Street, go through the upland cedar forest part of the property, just west of the Crescent Hills subdivision, south through upland cedar forest, cross an area of cedar-tamarack swamp, continue to upland oak forest and connect to the old railroad bed, follow north to the H.T. Burt Elementary School property, and continue north to Church Street near the post office. The total length of the trail would be about six-tenths of a mile.
But residents of Crescent Hills are against the idea and some said at the May 14 council meeting that an attorney advised them the village could not legally build a trail or anything else, on the 40-acre parcel of property without the adjacent property owners? consent. They have said the village does not have that consent and will not have it.
The land was donated to the village several years ago by the developer of the subdivision, with the intent it be used as park land, says Coy, noting the council will take no further action regarding the village property and use of it until a written attorney opinion is returned.