Brandon Twp.- Residents of the township, as well as the Village of Ortonville and Groveland Township are invited to the library on Oct. 29 to discover how they can connect their communities through trails.
A trail workshop, planned for 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the library, 304 South St., Ortonville, will focus on non-motorized connections within the three communities, including the Iron Belle Trail.
‘We would like public input on the actual routing of the Iron Belle Trail as well as other pathways,? said Kristen Wiltfang, senior planner for Oakland County Economic Development and Community Affairs. ‘We are looking at all user types? equestrian, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and areas in each of the three communities where non-motorized facilities may provide connections to major destinations.?
Wiltfang gave a presentation at the Brandon Township Board meeting in August regarding trails, shortly after the township learned it was approved for a $14,800 Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant to be used for the Iron Belle Trail project.
The Iron Belle Trail has two proposed routes, one for bicycling, and one for hiking, both of which have start/end points at Belle Isle (Detroit) and Ironwood (in the Upper Peninsula). The bicycling trail, which will be 774 miles from beginning to end, is slated to go through communities including Brandon, Groveland, and Atlas townships, as well as the Village of Ortonville. The hiking trail takes a route to the west and is 1,259 miles.
In Brandon Township, the trail will extend about 5 miles, entering the township on the old inner urban railroad line, south of Granger Road at Baldwin, and entering the village at Kent Road. The trail corridor in the township is owned by ITC, which has an easement for power lines. Part of the study that the township hopes to have paid for through the grant would analyze whether it would be better to stay on the corridor or near the corridor.
Brandon Township Supervisor Kathy Thurman said she has received both favorable and unfavorable comments regarding use of the ITC corridor for the Iron Belle Trail. She has sent letters to residents with ITC easements, inviting them to the Oct. 29 workshop.
‘I’ve heard concerns from folks down Rattlesnake Lane that are opposed, but further down toward Sashabaw, those folks want to see the trail come through and they have easements on their property,? said Thurman. ‘We have HRC (Hubbell, Roth and Clark) doing an engineered study on the routing. Decisions will coincide with their findings.?
A mapping exercise is planned for the workshop, in which maps of each of the three communities will be provided with major destinations highlighted including schools, parks, civic buildings and downtown.
‘We will look at each of the road corridors to see how attendees would like to connect all those features together,? said Wiltfang. ‘The majority of the route in Brandon Township will follow the ITC transmission corridor, the former Detroit United Railway, electric railroad line and once it gets to the village, there are two alternatives to get up to Atlas Township.?
Also to be discussed at the workshop are various amenities that could be located along the trail, including drinking fountains, trailhead parking, mile markers, interpretive signs, picnic tables, and shade shelters.
Residents are encouraged to fill out an online survey regarding the Iron Belle Trail at surveymonkey.com/r/BOGTrails. Feedback from the survey and the workshop will determine whether the route is acceptable and can also be used to create a document that the communities can use in their recreation master plans, as well as for future grant applications.
Grant applications could be submitted as early as April 2016, with possible construction to begin in 2017, Wiltfang said. For more information send an email to wiltfangk@oakgov.com.