VBT sets public hearing, decision on Iron Belle Trail route

The time is short to apply for a grant proposal to help Van Buren Township with the route work on the Iron Belle Trail.
So, the township board set a public hearing for March 6 with a decision that evening on which route to take.
Board members favor the original route #1, which heads north on Haggerty from the Huron Clinton Metropark, west over the old bridge just south of French Landing Dam, along the front of Sandy’s Marina on Edison Lake Road, across East Huron River Drive to the south side of the road where it will go through the front yards of residents along Huron River Drive, make a swipe though Riggs Park, and head onward to Edgemont Drive in Belleville. It’s two miles long.
In Belleville it will follow sidewalks to the west side of town, when it will head off toward Washtenaw County. That side of the route has not been mentioned, as yet.
Other routes proposed were behind the houses along E. Huron River Drive, coming out of the Metropark on Bemis, ITC to Savage (3.8 miles), Metropark to Bemis to ITC lines to Martinsville (3.9 miles), and another route in that area.
The Van Buren link being proposed is part of the Iron Belle Trail, the longest state trail in the nation with two paths connecting Belle Isle in Detroit and Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula.
At the Feb. 20 meeting of the township board of trustees, VBT Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Wright gave a presentation on five proposed routes.
She said a board resolution is needed by April 1, the application due date. She said they are still looking at the route and the cost, which are needed before they apply for a DNR Trust Fund grant, that will take a 25% match from the township.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara said the “poison pill” will knock out three routes proposed, since unless there is already an existing crossover in place, the railroad won’t approve a trail crossing the tracks.
“They won’t give permission because of railroad liability,” said Trustee Sherry Frazier.
“Option 1 is the most scenic,” Trustee Frazier said, noting she was at the recent meeting on the route and the main concern was safety because there is speeding on East Huron River Drive.
She said a 10-foot wide path is needed to get grant money. She said it was a Gov. Rick Snyder project and there is just one year before his term limit expires, but she has been told once he’s out, his approved budget is in effect for one more year.
Trustee Paul White said four residents may have an issue with this route. He suggested they invite them in and talk to them to see if they can come up with something to solve their problems.
Trustee Reggie Miller asked if any neighboring community has opted out of the Iron Belle Trail and Director Wright said she hadn’t heard of any.
Director Wright said the bridge needs to be repaired before it can be used for the trail. It carries a gas line and a water line.
Supervisor McNamara said with the help of Consumers Power and the Great Lakes Water Authority, the township’s share should be very little.
Trustee White said the bridge overlooks the dam.
When asked how much grant they are seeking, Director Wright said $700,000 to over $1 million. She said the
“Once the trail goes in, we have to decide if we want our staff to remove snow or post it will not be maintained [in the winter],” Trustee Frazier said.
“As an avid biker, I prefer #1,” said Clerk Leon Wright. “It’s the shortest route from the park to downtown Belleville.” He said the township has been working at making the community walkable and rideable.
“Bikers want to get off the road and have an area we can ride safely,” Clerk Wright said. “Motorists don’t like to share the road with bikes.”
“The whole point is to have a scenic route,” said Trustee Reggie Miller. She said she is concerned whether it will be 100% funded by the state.
Supervisor McNamara said option #3 is intriguing, mentioning the route heading from Bemis, ITC corridor, and to Savage Road and then over to Martinsville. He said the houses along Savage are closer to the road than those on E. Huron River Dr.
“We need to have a public hearing,” Trustee Frazier said.
Supervisor McNamara said they would invite the public in in two weeks to discuss the trail and before that, “I will knock on four doors and the neighbors.” He said it was too bad the railroad won’t let the trail cross its track.
He said if the board can’t come to a decision on the route on March 6, they can have a special meeting March 13.
Public Services Director Matthew Best said the township could get less than $1 million from the grant. He said $300,000 is what they are going for and that would include a 25% match. Then they would go after other grants.
McNamara said he had stated they were going for $1 million, but “I had that wrong.” He said the township got a $1.7 million TAP grant for the pedestrian overpass.
The Iron Belle Trail was not on the agenda for the board’s Feb. 20 meeting, but it was added at the meeting. That’s after the only new business item on the agenda was removed.
McNamara removed that item: To consider approval of Johnson Controls, Inc./Tyco Integrated Security to provide a new security card access system for township buildings in the amount of $32,006. He said they were looking at a “better contract.”
In other business at the one hour and 19 minute meeting, the board:
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointments of Charles Coleman, Kimberly Nofz, Tammy Wall, Daniel Belanger, Todd O’Neill, and Denise Willoughby to the Recreation Committee with terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019;
• Heard Mary Ban complain about the deteriorating conditions of Sumpter Road between Hull and Bemis. She asked if there was a chance it would be fixed this year? McNamara said he has found that Haggerty between Tyler and Ecorse is the only roadwork scheduled for VBT in 2018. She also spoke at length about how the address change VBT has made by having Van Buren Township appear with the 48111 zip code is now impacting what should be Sumpter Township addresses. She said she lives in Sumpter and doesn’t want VBT on her mail and packages, which is happening now. Trustee Frazier said the change was made by Clerk Leon Wright and then he told the board. It supposedly was part of a strategic plan discussed in 2014 that some of the board members have never heard of or seen, she said.