The Polly Ann Trailway Management Council (PATMC) has an opportunity to win up to $10,000, but in order to get it, folks have to vote in an on-line contest, the first round for which ends at midnight on Sept. 24.
“We have to vote, vote, vote!” said Linda Moran, the always-exuberant trail manager.
The Bank of Ann Arbor’s Birmingham office is donating $75,000 to 15 Oakland County nonprofit organizations. The kicker is, it’s the public that gets to decide who gets the loot and how much they receive.
The PATMC is one of 100 nonprofits vying for a piece of the pie.
“The more money we have, the more amenities we can offer, the more rapidly we can respond to maintenance issues,” Moran said. “Any money that we get goes right back into the trail. We spend every penny we get maintaining it.”
The Polly Ann Trail is a non-motorized, recreational trail that winds its way through Addison, Oxford and Orion townships, including the villages of Leonard and Oxford. It’s used by walkers, runners, bicyclists and equestrians.
“We’re a 501(c)3. We’re always in need of money,” Moran noted. “No matter how much we have, we always need more. Things cost a lot of money. Mowing costs a lot. Garbage bags cost a lot. Everything costs a lot of money. You think rocks are cheap? They are not cheap.”
Folks can vote for the trail by visiting birminghelps.com.
“You can vote every day,” Moran said. “You can vote one time per day per e-mail address. So, if you have two e-mail addresses, you can vote twice a day.”
Once the first round of voting is complete, the top 15 vote-getters will move on to the second and final round of voting, which determines the payout levels.
“If we make it to the second round, we are guaranteed $1,500 cash,” Moran said.
The contest’s top five vote-getters will each be awarded $10,000. The next five will receive $3,500 each, while the bottom five nonprofits will walk away with $1,500 a piece.
The 15 finalists will be announced on Sept. 29.
If the Polly Ann Trail wins some money, Moran made it clear “it would be totally up to the council” to decide how it’s spent.
However, she does have her own “wish list.”
“If I had a windfall of $10,000, I’d like to get some more porta-potties on the trail,” Moran said. “I’d like to get more picnic tables. I’d like to get some more benches out there.”
“I just want to make it more user-friendly – add some sparkle,” she noted. “It’s a fabulous trail and I just want people to be able to get out there and use it with great comfort.”
Winning $10,000 could also enable the trail council “to do some heavy-duty maintenance that needs to be done (but) maybe we don’t really have the money for” it now, so it gets delayed. “Our budget is limited and it’s really stretched,” Moran said.
Once again, Moran encourages everyone reading this to vote for the PATMC and do it now.
“We can’t be beaten by little kids and puppies. We have to win,” she said with a chuckle.
For more information about the Polly Ann Trail, please visit www.pollyanntrailway.org.