Hart-Montague Rail Trail Raising Funding for Re-Paving

Hart Montague Rail Trail (photo by jhy)

based on a news article in the Oceana Herald Journal and other sources

Anyone who has bicycled the Hart-Montague Rail Trail in the last couple of years is aware that the surface is beginning to decay. The popular trail opened in 1991, and five years later was one of the first two trails to be designated a Michigan Trailway. It is now a linear State Park. However, it has not been re-surfaced in those 25 years.

The cost of this project is projected to be $4.4 million. Annamarie Bauer, of the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation State Trails Section, states that the Michigan Department of Transportation is putting up $2.1 million. Recently, the Michigan DNR recently received approval for $600,000 in Michigan Natural Resources Commission Trust Fund grants. A Recreation Trails Program Grant will contribute $325,000; $100,000 will come from the state park capital improvement fund. Bauer hopes private and corporate funding will bring in $1.1 million. The remainder is $100,000 is being sought from local sources.

The Oceana County Commissioners voted in March to contribute $25,000 toward the paving. The White Lake Community Fund set aside $10,000 for this purpose in December 2013.

Local businesses along the trail report good support from trail users. Both local people who use the pathway on a regular basis, and those who travel to ride the trail make use of these services.

Paving is expected to begin in 2015 and the 22 miles will be completed in 2016.

See Hart Montague Rail Trail
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

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Rails-to-Trails Seeks Federal Investment for Walking, Biking

the Hart Montague Rail-Trail

a news release of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Rails-to-Trails (RTC) is releasing a written case statement today demonstrating how communities could shift a significant percentage of driving trips to walking and biking, resulting in substantial benefits to mobility, health, greenhouse gas emissions and the local economy.

The announcement occurs on the same day that dozens of communities nationwide join the national nonprofit RTC in releasing case statements calling for greater federal investment in walking and biking.

"Too often, communities have been designed to accommodate cars instead of people," says Kevin Mills, vice-president of policy for RTC. "Many seek to walk or bicycle for short trips but hesitate for lack of safe and convenient places to do so. But where communities have begun to build active transportation systems, walking and bicycling have increased dramatically."

The goal: empowering dozens of communities to each advocate for $50 million in federal funds to make focused investments in infrastructure and programs to shift automobile trips to walking and biking. The campaign aims to double the federal investment in active transportation in the next reauthorization.

Consider the impact of this investment if there were a safe way to bicycle from Scottville to Ludington, or Pentwater to Hart. Each of those distances is under ten miles, and many people might choose to commute on two wheels instead of four if given the option.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy works to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines, connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.

Today, RTC is also releasing a report, "Active Transportation for America," funded by Bikes Belong (a national bicycle advocacy group), that quantifies for the first time the significant contribution bicycling and walking can make to our nation’s transportation system.

King County (Washington) Executive Ron Sims relates the role his parents played in the civil rights movement and his love of trails which, he ultimately realized, connect and unite communities (from the 2007 Trailink Conference).

The "Active Transportation for America" report can be found at Rails-to-Trails
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Michigan's Recreation Treasure Chest

Nordhouse Dunes photo JHY

$600 million for recreation... "Aaaargh, matey! That's quite a fanciful treasure chest you're claimin'." (That's your response.)

"Aye, aye, my friend, t'is real, and we've got the treasure map!" (Now I'm talking.) That's the amount of money distributed since 1976 for approved recreation projects in the state of Michigan from the Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF). Over thirty years that's an annual average of $20 million! In recreation circles, that's a huge pile of coins and jewels. The entire 4600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail limps along on an annual budget of under $1 million.

If your eye pauses at articles about recreation projects as it slides across the printed word, you've noticed lately that a number of governmental units have been spiffing up their five-year master recreation plans. Mason County and Manistee County each have whole web pages devoted to keeping the public informed about those documents (masoncorec.wordpress.com/ and manisteecorecreation.wordpress.com/) The City of Scottville recently amended theirs in order to add purchase of riverfront property and development of recreation facilities on the old Mason County Landfill site. And Hart is working hard on theirs in order to refurbish John Gurney Park.

Those plans are the key to the treasure chest– no plan, no chance to dip your hands into the chest full of gold doubloons.

How did the chest get so full of loot? The coffer is filled by annual revenues from the development of State-owned mineral resources, largely oil and gas. The Fund is governed by a board of trustees which meets six times a year, and the meetings are open to the public.

Pirate chests are seldom filled by taking a vote, but that's how this treasure came to be replenished, by law. The Michigan legislature created a fund, the Kammer Recreational Land Trust Fund, in 1976 which received a portion of revenue from state-owned mineral rights. But if you remember voting in 1984, the public– you and I– passed Proposal B to establish the MNRTF I vaguely remember punching my ballot card and cynically thinking, "right... I wonder where this money will eventually be sidetracked." But I was wrong to be so wary.

Over the thirty years, Mason County has benefitted to the tune of $7.7 million, Manistee County– $10.9 million, Lake County– $145, 000 and Oceana County– $888,000. Familiar local projects which have received funds include the Hart-Montague Rail Trail, Ludington Waterfront Park and Scottville Riverside Park. Manistee's downtown Riverwalk, and Lake County's Shrine of the Pines have also benefitted. The big local winner was the settlement with Miller Brothers for the acquisition of Nordhouse Dunes, over $4 million for that project alone. And various other projects in the four counties, 23 in all, have received grant money.

Twice each year, projects are approved to receive funding. Three-quarters of the projects are required by law to be for land acquisition, with the rest allowed to be for recreational development. Only one third of the fund's revenue each year can be granted out, with the rest going to build the principal until a cap of $500 million dollars is reached. The trust fund board estimates that will happen in 2016. After that, available revenue will come from investment income.

Next time you read about a Master Plan for Recreation, perk up and consider participating in the public portions of the process. X marks the very real spot for the treasure to build the park or trail you dream of. That's worth a hearty "Aaaaargh!"

by Joan H. Young
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

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See Nordhouse Dunes
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