09 Mar The Wheelway’s Miracle Mile – A Message from Brent Bolin

Thanks to everyone who participated in Monday’s Petoskey City Council meeting or reached out to the Trails Council to express your concerns and ask how you can help.

The key outcome Monday night was the city council postponing their vote to release the Lo easement until March 16.

WHAT HAPPENED MONDAY NIGHT

On the morning of March 2, the Trails Council was notified by the City of Petoskey that the city intended to settle ongoing litigation with a homeowner in the Miracle Mile washout area by releasing their Little Traverse Wheelway trail easement along that landowner’s property.

Click here to watch the discussion on March 2

In remarks to the city council on Monday night, I, Trails Council Executive Director Brent Bolin, explained that the city was not only deciding the outcome of a lawsuit but also deciding the fate of the Miracle Mile. Releasing a section of trail easement would break the trail right of way and make it impossible to re-establish the Wheelway along the bluff.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

In November the Trails Council had offered to lead a fundraising effort for rebuilding the Miracle Mile if the city was an active and willing partner. The Trails Council stands behind that commitment, contingent on these key elements:

• The City of Petoskey agrees to support the Trails Council-led fundraising coalition.
• The necessary trail easements are retained by the city.

On March 16, the question for city council is if they’re willing to give up the Miracle Mile forever.

HOW TRAIL SUPPORTERS CAN HELP

Contact members of the city council and let them know that you care about this issue and want the city to keep working with the Trails Council to bring back the Miracle Mile.

Ask the city to slow down and take the time needed to get this decision right.

It took 30 years to assemble the trail right-of-way for the Little Traverse Wheelway and we have spent six years trying to figure out how to rebuild the Miracle Mile, but less than four months after receiving the Baird restoration plan the city council is considering throwing it away forever with just two weeks’ notice.

If you don’t vote in the city but care about the Little Traverse Wheelway and the greater Petoskey region, I suggest you direct your comments to Mayor Murphy on behalf of the council as a whole.

Mayor John Murphy, jmurphy@petoskey.us

Tina DeMoore, Ward 1, ​​tdemoore@petoskey.us

Charlie Willmott, Ward 2, cwillmott@petoskey.us

Joseph T. Nachtrab, Ward 3, jnachtrab@petoskey.us

Lindsey Walker, Ward 4, lwalker@petoskey.us

Thank you,

Brent Bolin, Executive Director

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