Trails in the News - Press Clipping Files

10/14/2006

Charlevoix County Votes Responsibility for Trail-to-be

Charlevoix board reverses itself on non-motorized trail

Petoskey News-Review

BY FRED GRAY NEWS-REVIEW STAFF WRITER

CHARLEVOIX - The Charlevoix Board of Commissioners reversed itself Wednesday and voted 5-1 to accept county ownership and maintenance responsibilities for a 14-mile non-motorized trail between Boyne City and U.S. 31.

The vote means that another government entity, such as the city of Boyne City, can apply for a grant to fund the project, which county planner Larry Sullivan estimated would cost about $3 million, most of it from federal “enhancement funds.”

Sullivan said that to apply for the funds, the applicant, which could not be the county, must designate a governmental entity, such as the county or a city, to assume ownership and maintenance responsibilities.

In August, despite favorable recommendations by the county parks committee and planning commission, the board refused to adopt a resolution to take ownership, with commissioners Shirley Roloff, Ron Reinhardt and Vic Patrick voting against it and Connie Saltonstall, Randy Frykberg and Denny Jason in support.

But on Wednesday, Reinhardt asked that the resolution be returned to the table based on new information that Sullivan had provided after the August vote. Reinhardt said he was now convinced that costs of maintaining such a trail would not be excessive, and thus he could support a motion for the county to take responsibility for such a trail.

Patrick said today that he had changed his vote for the same reason.

Sullivan provided the board with detailed annual costs of maintaining the county's only non-motorized trail, which runs east from Charlevoix city along U.S. 31, at about $2,150 (see box).

He said costs for a future Boyne City-U.S. 31 trail would be about $3,440, which he said could be reduced substantially if volunteers could be found to mow the sides of the trails and pick up litter periodically.

“I believe we also must consider the fact that it takes a substantial amount of time to build each trail,” Sullivan wrote. “I envision that it could be five or six years before the Boyne City to U.S. 31 trail is completely constructed due to the need to obtain grants, raise local match, complete detailed engineering plans and construct the trail.

“I would not envision efforts to develop another trail would occur until the Boyne City-U.S. 31 trail was completed.”

Roloff then asked that the vote be tabled until the next meeting to give her time for review, but the board denied her motion and voted 5-1 to accept responsibility for the trail.

At the August board meeting Sullivan and Scott MacKenzie, director of the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce, said private groups had been working with local units of government to develop the non-motorized trail.

They said the trail would be separated from the roadway and would improve traffic safety, provide a recreational facility and promote additional economic activity within the county.

Sullivan said the county would be the obvious candidate to ensure oversight and maintenance of the trail because most of the trail would be outside the boundaries of incorporated cities.

He said that in his view, city tax dollars should not be used to provide services outside the city limits.

“If you're going to build a trail system, you've got to start somewhere, and not every place in the county can be first,” MacKenzie said, emphasizing the economic benefits to the entire county of drawing tourists to recreational facilities such as non-motorized trails.

He said the highest use of the trails takes place in the spring and fall “shoulder seasons.”

“It's a quality of life thing for all of us. And one of the desirable factors when businesses are looking to set up shop in our communities and in our county is our quality of life and the infrastructure.”

---