A fond farewell was bid to a charter member of the Polly Ann Trail Management Council (PATMC).

Addison Township Trustee Ed Brakefield, who’s served on the council since its inception in 1997, received a plaque bearing a silver-colored railroad spike.

It was meant to be an expression of the PATMC’s “deepest gratitude” for the many years of hard work and dedication he invested in helping to create, develop and improve the 16.9-mile recreational trail that spans three townships and two villages.

The spike is one of the original ones from the trail’s former life as a rail line. Trains ran on it from the early 1880s until 1984. The railroad corridor was sold to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the early 1990s and later became a non-motorized trail used by walkers, runners, cyclists and equestrians like Brakefield.

According to the wording on the plaque, the spike “represents the drive, support and stability” that Brakefield brought to the trail council.

Brakefield is leaving the council as a result of his decision to not seek re-election to the Addison Township Board after two decades of service.

PATMC Chairman Mike McDonald also noted the service of three other members who are leaving the council.

They are Sue Bellairs and Buck Cryderman, both trustees from Oxford, and Orion Township Treasurer Mark Thurber.

Bellairs chose to not seek re-election, while Cryderman and Thurber were both defeated in the August Republican primary election.