Trails in the News - Press Clipping Files

03/26/2008

Airport to Harbor Springs Segment of Little Traverse Wheelway set for Construction in August

By Noah Fowle News-Review Staff WriterWednesday, March 26, 2008 9:29 AM EDT
After years of talk and months of planning, the construction of a pathway along M-119 is slated to begin this August.

On Tuesday, citizens, including those who offered up easements for the three mile extension of the Little Traverse Wheelway were invited to speak with the project’s designers.

"It's vital this project reflects the community and what they want the end product to look like," said Hilary Owen, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation. "Taking the public's concern like this really doesn't lengthen the design process because this is just one small piece to a very large puzzle.”

The construction project, estimated to cost nearly $1 million, will be funded mostly by a federal grant through the Transportation Enhancement Act, and further buoyed by matching state funds. Along with the money comes a 20-year commitment for upkeep along the trail. With the new addition, the Little Traverse Wheelway will extend more than 27 miles from Harbor Springs through Petoskey and Bay Harbor to Charlevoix.



Joe Leach, who lives along M-119, and granted an easement to the project was relieved to learn that some precious trees on his property would be spared during the path’s construction, which could be finished as early as October if the weather cooperates and the project stays on track.

“I have a 35-year-old Black Walnut that actually came from a nut from a tree on my parents’ property,” he said. “It may not look like much but it has some sentimental value to me.”

Connie Houk, a lead designer for the project, worked diligently with Leach and other property owners during a public forum at the Little Traverse Township Hall. She made specific notes on several copies of the plans, addressing individual concerns no matter how big or small.

“We're being sensitive to property owners,” she said. “We were asked to develop a context sensitive design, and altering our plans to the needs of property owners is part of the process.”

Danna Widmar, of Harbor Area Regional Board of Resources Inc., said she was pleased with the most recent stage of her extensive outreach. Widmar began working with other community activists to educate property owners about the pathway, its benefits, and certain concessions it would need from the public more than three years ago. After the funds were secured, she said the pathway would benefit from easements on more than 30 parcels in order to take it farther from the highway for a combination of safety and aesthetic reasons.

"While some people said no outright, we got a lot of enthusiastic responses from the people who spoke with us,” she said.

Noah Fowle439-9374 - nfowle@petoskeynews.com

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