23 Apr Petoskey City Council Opts to Maintain Wheelway Easements

A public support campaign led by Top of Michigan Trails Council achieved its desired effects last Monday night as the Petoskey City Council announced it would maintain easements in the Little Traverse Wheelway’s Miracle Mile section.

At the outset of Monday’s meeting, council members met with the city attorney for an hour in a closed door session permitted under Michigan law. When they emerged, Petoskey Mayor John Murphy read the following statement, “It’s the City Council’s intention to preserve the easements of the (Little Traverse Wheelway). The City Council has authorized the city attorney to continue discussions with (plaintiffs Gustav and Courtney Lo) with the intent of preserving existing easements while addressing the Lo’s concerns.”

A number of trail supporters spoke after Murphy’s statement, and they expressed thanks to the council for acting on their pleas.

The Los, Arrowhead Shores residents, sued the City last year alleging neglect of the trail easement on the bluff, portions of which collapsed into Lake Michigan in 2020.

Since the collapse, the city and the Trails Council have commissioned two engineering studies aimed at (1) creating a safe detour along the east side of U.S. 31 from Petoskey to East Park, and (2) rebuilding the path in its original location and restoring almost a mile of Lake Michigan shoreline below the trail.

The Trails Council and trail supporters feared the City Council, seeking to avoid litigation costs, would relinquish the easements trail developers spent decades securing.

Trails Council Executive Director Brent Bolin said, “We thank Mayor Murphy for his leadership and members of the city council for listening to the public. The Miracle Mile is one of the things that makes our community special, so while we acknowledge that restoring the trail is a big project. We also know that our community can do big things! After all, this community built the trail in the first place.”