The Wayland City Co
uncil Monday evening decided to go ahead with plans to submit an application again for a $276,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant to help pay for a paved trail along the interurban.
The council had a public hearing on the matter and did hear some opposition.
Councilwoman Tracy Bivins, who has opposed the trail for a long time, insisted that the public wasn’t informed about the date and time of the hearing, so it would be inappropriate to have a hearing and then take action. She said there was no notice of the hearing the city’s web site and no notices posted on the doors at City Hall.
Mayor Pro Tem Jennifer Antel, who was acting as mayor Monday night in the absence of Mayor Tim Bala, said notice of the hearing was duly published in the Allegan County News & Gazette, a newspaper of general circulation. Bivins said not enough Wayland people subscribe to the weekly publication.
Antel also said the deadline for filing the application is April 1 and the next council meeting won’t be held until April 4.
The city submitted an application for the same grant and purpose a year ago, but did not win approval. The plans have been to contruct a paved trail for walkers and bicyclers to use on the historic north-south artery that goes through 1.2 miles of the city from Dahlia Street on the north to 133rd Avenue on the south.
Bivins, who lives on West Sycamore Street where the interurban passes through, has opposed the project on the basis of unwanted trespassers and on the basis of concerns for the safety of children at Baker Elementary next door to her.
Carolyn Cook, who owns a large tract of land near the interurban, added her opposition by saying, “We don’t want trespassers. That’s what we’re concerned about.”
She added, “It (the interurban at 133rd Avenue) is always full of water and you can’t just fill it in. It’s wetlands.”
However, trail advocates have answered that users of a recreational trail are not likely at all to be unwelcome intruders. They have noted the current gravel and dirt road already is accessible to undesirables and paving it for recreational use would attract a much more benign clientele.
Bivins also has opposed the project by calling it “a trail to nowhere” because Wayland Township on the south and Leighton Township on the north do not have plans to extend the trail in their jurisdictions.
Antel asserted that Wayland Township includes the possibility of a trail in its five-year recreation plan.
Bivins also expressed concerns that city taxpayers would have to foot the bill for wetlands mitigation, but City Engineer Mickey Bittner said that likely would be minimal, if a problem at all.
The vote to submit the grant application was 4-1, with Bivins the lone dissenter.
The comment was made that there is already a gravel trail. I expressed this before. It’s more natural. Why does everybody feel the need to put the human footprint everywhere. A 1 mile recreation trail? How about starting to have some respect for nature and our wildlife friends. I not only grew up enjoying the interurban trails,as a photographer ,and along with other photographers, have taken several pictures in that area and along Reno Drive of several different species of wildlife. There has already been displacement of a lot of our wildlife friends with all the businesses built around the area. When does it stop? There are trails and sidewalks for walking and biking. Why not leave something be for the nature lover. If the trail were to get a lot of traffic. It would really stress the wild life. Not to mention I agree with concerns mentioned in the article.
It sounds like Tracy Bivins knows when to quit beating a dead horse (so to speak – nothing against my equine friends).
Evidently, the other council members don’t and the beatings will continue until morale improves. When will everyone understand “grants” are not free (they are doled out from taxpayers) and the balance of the project, if awarded, will be borne by the taxpayers (again). And then there’s the maintenance and upkeep life cycle costs.
It never ends with these clowns. Thanks Tracy for sticking up for the taxpayers and commonsense – something that isn’t so common anymore.