January 28, 2004
Bike trail on the right path
Long Lake Township residents raise money for 14-mile bike path; construction starts this fall
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Long Lake Township residents are on the road to better recreation thanks to the efforts of some devoted cyclists in the township.
No longer will bikers wobble on narrow, unpaved shoulders as traffic zooms by on the twisty roads circumnavigating the lake. As for walkers, they can have the space for a leisurely stroll without worrying that a car will mow them down.
Phase I of a 14-mile bike path around Long Lake is now becoming a reality thanks to the efforts of citizens, the Grand Traverse County Road Commission and a recent grant from Rotary Charities.
By this fall, organizers of the Long Lake Trails Fund hope that construction will begin on a 4.2-mile section on the south end of the lake. This phase will place a five-foot paved shoulder from East Long Lake Road to Mud Lake. The trail also provides access to Interlochen and Karlin and connects to established bike trails.
As population skyrocketed in one of the fastest-growing townships in the area, the traffic volume also jumped and biker and pedestrian safety plummeted. Many bikers and walkers just gave up, noted Long Lake Trails Fund member John Shields.
"There is just not enough room to share," Shields said. "When I moved here six years ago, I used to bike around the lake, which takes about an hour. But it is too dangerous now."
"I think people feel trapped in their subdivisions around here because the only way out is by a car," he added.
A group of concerned citizens began talking about the idea nearly ten years ago. Some portions of the roads around the lake already have wide paved shoulders, but these will be designated as bike lanes as the project progresses. Other roads have no paved shoulder at all and are very curvy and hilly roads - a dangerous combination.
"I live here and the amount of traffic has just tripled in the past few years, and having kids, our concern is to build these trails now," said Bob McLain, owner of McLain Cycle and a member of the Long Lake Trails Fund. "It is a very difficult task to do it now, because of land and money. But given ten years, it will be almost impossible."
A few years ago, the Long Lake Trails Fund partnered with the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation as a non-profit umbrella and began fundraising in earnest. The township was also supportive. They mentioned the effort a few times in their newsletter and donations began coming in.
With help and guidance from the Grand Traverse County Road Commission, who knew about federal grant money known as TEA-21, Long Lake Trail Fund members determined they needed $70,000 to qualify for this grant money. The community raised $10,000, the township gave $5,000 and the DelMac Bike Tour kicked in $20,000.
A recent grant from Rotary Charities for $35,000 put them at goal to complete Phase I of the recreational trail.
"There have been lots of individual donations and we were able to raise the 20 percent needed to quality for a matching federal grant," said Shields, a retiree who has devoted many hours to the effort.
Shields also noted a benefit for taxpayers to the paved shoulders.
"The road commission will be able to save money on road maintenance," he said.
Tina Allen, township treasurer, acknowledges these volunteers for making the project a reality. She also noted that recreational trails are widely supported within the community.
"When we were putting together our master parks and recreation plan last summer, we sent out an informal survey to residents to get their priorities," Allen said. "The bike trail was their number one priority."
Given budget constraints in recent years, the project was out of reach unless residents took charge and created the funds, Allen added.
"The credit really goes to the people who are heading this," she said. "The people of this township, when they decide something is important to them - like now we're building the library - they do understand that it is not always government's job to do everything so they step up to the plate and make sure it gets done."