By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
Faced with the prospect of decreased state funding due to cutbacks attributed to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Polly Ann Trail Manager Linda Moran, in concert with Oxford Village Police Chief Mike Solwold, elected to hold a bottle drive fundraiser at the station’s garage in May.
Hoping to raise a few hundred dollars, the outpouring of support from the community far exceeded Moran and Solwold’s expectations and ended up netting the Polly Ann Trail a total of $26,193.80.
Just shy of $16,000 of this newfound cash injection was used to make two repairs on the Oakland County portion of the trail, replacing a broken culvert in Lake Orion and repaving an area behind Frosty Boy (on W. Burdick Street in the village) where underground roots had created an uneven surface.
The repave was handled by Birmingham Sealcoat, a local company, located at 2651 Metamora Road, and owned by two Oxford High School alumni, Ryan and Mark Austin, graduates of 2000 and 2002, respectively.
On August 19, the Polly Ann Trail Management Council (PATMC) returned the favor, voting unanimously to donate $1,500 of these funds back to the village police department.
“Thank you to the community that donated and the volunteers that helped make this happen!” Moran said in a text message. “And a special thank you to Powers Distributing for their help!”
Based in Lake Orion at 3700 Giddings Road, Powers Distributing used their delivery trucks to haul away all the donated bottles and cans, writing the Polly Ann Trail a check for the amount and eliminating the need for Moran and a team of volunteers to take these items back to a store with a bottle return, such as Meijer.
The village police have these donated funds earmarked for a special use, as well. Per Solwold, the $1,500 will be used for this winter’s “Shop with a Hero” event.
A t the Oxford Meijer, 900 N. Lapeer Road, this annual event pairs police officers and Oakland County sheriff deputies with low-income local youths, who use the funds provided by the department to buy Christmas gifts for themselves and family members.
According to Oxford Township Communications and Grants Manager C.J. Carnacchio, the donation from the PATMC will provide 10 children with $150 to spend.

  polly ann trail, shop with a hero