October 26, 2005
Boardman Lake Trail East opens
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The sunrise side of the Boardman Lake sports a new two-mile trail, thanks to decades of work by private individuals, TART Trails and local governments.
With snips of the scissors wielded by trail organizers Friday morning, Boardman Lake Trail East was officially opened while nearly 100 attendees at the ceremony enthusiastically applauded. With morning sun sparkling on water reflecting a blaze of fall colors, bikers and walkers headed south from the trailhead at Hull Park to its terminus at Medalie Park on South Airport Road.
Trail enthusiasts envision that by 2010, this trail will be part of a system that circumnavigates the lake.
"I would hope within the next five years we could have the whole lake [trail] complete -- that may be optimistic but that's my job," said Bob Otwell, executive director of TART Trails.
"It's such a beautiful trail, it really is pretty," he noted of the first leg, construction of which began in July. "Sort of in the middle of it, you don't feel like you are a mile from the city."
The next phase of the Boardman Lake Trail will be from Hull Park across the Boardman River and over to shoreline near Oryana or even up to 14th Street. Otwell said that the city submitted a Natural Resources Trust Fund grant application in March for this segment; the state should respond by this fall or winter.
After all of the Boardman Lake Trail is completed, the next goal is linking it to extensive public trails south of South Airport Road on the west side of the river.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony acknowledged the efforts and work by officials from the City of Traverse City, Garfield Township and Grand Traverse County, who combined forces to make the trail a reality. The Department of Environmental Quality had also been instrumental in a lengthy process to clean up properties bordering the lake that were former industrial sites or outright junkyards.
Speakers also thanked Ted Okerstrom's for his vision and perseverance over decades. One of the original proponents, Okerstrom spearheaded the Boardman Lake Trail both as a private citizen and TART Trails leader. His hands-on approach helped spur the government entities along.
"Thank you, I'm so proud of the county, Garfield Township and the city," said Okerstrom Friday morning. "It's a great day and I want you to enjoy the walk."
The Boardman Lake Trail idea began in the 1972 when the Traverse Bay Regional Planning Commission recommended a trail around the lake. In 1984, the North American VASA race - an institution founded by Okerstrom - included a portion of the Boardman Lake shoreline. The race revitalized the trail concept as participants discovered this hidden jewel in Traverse City and realized its potential.
Formal planning began in 1992 when the Boardman Valley Trail Steering Committee formed. In 2001, the county received a Coastal Management Grant to design the trail. The next year, trail advocates and government groups successfully sought a $500,000 grant from the Natural Resources Trust Fund to build the Boardman Lake Trail East. Local funding for this segment came from Traverse City, Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County and TART Trails.
"Making the Boardman Lake accessible by building this beautiful trail required diligence and courageous decision making by these three local government entities," said Bob Wick, president of TART Trails. "They should be applauded for coming together and making this trail happen."
Easements from a range of private property owners along the lakeshore were needed to create Boardman Lake Trail East. The Boardman Valley Trail Steering Committee began acquiring these easements in the early 1990s and the last piece for the East side trail fell into place in 2002. Henry and Lonna Ramsby donated the trailhead property at Hull Park.
"We acknowledge all landowners and businesses for their ability to work with us," said Wayne Schmidt, Grand Traverse County Board Chair.