Parks & Recreation Committee Has Ambitious Trail Plans

IRONWOOD, MI - Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - The Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee held a regular monthly meeting last night in the Women's Club on the second floor of the Ironwood Memorial Building. The major issue at last night's meeting was the new trail system. In addition, the Committee voted to accept Mr. David Peite's resignation and they briefly discussed the possibility of changing the number of members.

Following the routine matters of business (approval of the previous minutes, approval of the agenda, etc.) the meeting started off with a very casual gathering around a map of the newly proposed trail system. Sam Davey described where the trail would be located. Various people asked questions and pointed out various points of interest along the trail.

The trail basically begins at the Riverside Cemetery and continues past Frederick Street onto the first right-of-way that needs to be approved -- property owned by the Soo Line Railroad. It continues along a piece of property between Frederick and Ayer Street and past Pizza King Joe's (Demasi's) -- across Aurora/Silver Street and past the Knights of Columbus hall -- eventually passing the Hiawatha statue. It will continue through to an existing ATV trail to the high school baseball field, the compost site and along a stretch traveling towards the golf course near Wal-Mart. A return loop of the trail would involve getting easements from individuals. The trail system would include loops of various lengths to accomodate a number of different users. Some walkers/hikers can travel longer distances that others.

A brief discussion of the controversial Ayer Street property took place. Local businessman Jerry Pisani has been trying to purchase a piece of the open land along the street to construct a commercial storage facility there. Several people have voiced objections to Mr. Pisani's request to have the property rezoned and sold. It was mentioned at Monday's meeting that the sale of the parcel Mr. Pisani is interested in, could interfere with future plans to complete and/or improve the current trail system. Possible solutions that would allow for the sale with minimal effect on the trail system were discussed.

Mr. Davey pointed out that the former landfill location along Frenchtown Road would become the City's dog park. Being such a large fenced in area, dog owners could let their dogs run freely throughout the property.

Another leg of the trail would eventually take hikers/walkers to Norrie Park. This trail would then easily attach to the existing ABR Trails using property owned by Mr. Eric Anderson, owner of the ABR Trails. Davey suggested that in a year or two, a 42k groomed cross-country ski trail could be created using both the ABR Trails and the City's trail system to create a qualifying Birkebeiner marathon event. Such events throughout the country generate huge revenues and a generally large boosts to location's general economies.

City Manager Erickson pointed out that several different trails in the system would be multi-use and others would be strictly used for specific uses -- cross country skiing; hiking; walking; biking; ATV's and snowmobiles, etc.

Anderson explained that trails have already been cut along his property, and the ground work can soon be done since the DEQ has given their approval. He told the Committee that a "Berkie" qualifier would be a very good thing for the area, and he gave further explanation on how the qualifier works.

Davey suggested that the City apply for historical grants that could point out landmarks where mine-shafts were located. He also pointed out that eventually a massive trail system could be created that would be a huge draw for the entire area - Ironwood, Bessemer, and Wakefield. Several trail head locations were discussed as the Committee hashed out the a plan for locating the full trail.

Jackie Powers gave a brief presentation explaining how other communities have embraced similar trails and how they have benefited those communities financially. She pointed out the Wisconsin is the second best state for biking trails while Michigan is ranked twelfth. She referenced several articles in Silent Sports magazine that were relevant to Ironwood's proposed trails and the impact they could play on the community.

She expressed concern that the trail is far from being a reality. She said there needs to be a better focus on creating a true "multiple use" trail that satisfies as many of the potential users as possible. She suggested that the Committee or a sub-committee should sit down with those that will be using the facility and getting their input. She showed several examples of how the trail could be marketed and how it would benefit the residents and tourists in the area. She said people need to easily access the trail system. She told the Committee that she attended the county meeting that discussed the North Country trail. She explained that the initial plans included having the larger North Country trail to go right through the center of downtown Ironwood. She said that it seems that plans have been abandoned for that plan because of the large amount of homeowners that would need to grant easements. She said it is very important for the Committee to attempt to tie into the the North Country trail in the future.

She said she thinks historical landmarks should be incorporated into the trail. The rich mining history of the area could make the trails a real destination for tourists. She suggested that the proposed mural program in the downtown would be best launched at a new "trail head" that connected to the system.

She suggested that the City should look for grants to improve the trail and they should also look towards generating income from it. She suggested that both cross country ski races and mountain-bike races would be huge revenue generators, as well as snowshoe races. In the Silent Sports magazine, she pointed out where other areas have obtained substantial grant monies to improve their trail systems.

Ken Hazel addressed the Committee last night to show that a few dedicated people can make a very big difference when it comes to a project like the trail system Ironwood is proposing. He handed out maps of the 10K Montreal Ski Trail that he produced. He explained that he laid out the maps himself and went and sold ads on the front and back to pay for their production. He stated that the Montreal Trail is run entirely by volunteers. He criticized an audience member who stated it would take 2000 people to make a change.  "I would say, does it take 2000 people to make a change? Or one or two people to change the minds of 2000 people?"

Hazel pointed out that he had skied with between 600 and 800 people over the weekend that have mostly traveled from out of the area to get here. He told the Committee that he mentioned the proposed trail system to several of the skiers and he said they all were very excited about the possibility of another option in the area for skiing. He said the potential for this trail to make an economic impact on the community is very good. He also said that local people could really enjoy the trail and that eventually lighting the trail would be a big boost because nobody has lighted trails for night-time skiing.

In the end the Committee decided to create a professional looking map and then present the proposal to people who would actually be using the trail, for their input. Several of the Committee members expressed concern that they might be missing certain opportunities that the general public will be able point out to them. Previously, Jackie Powers complimented the City for the way they allowed the skateboarders to choose the equipment for their park. She said that kind of cooperation will only make a better final result.

Steve Frank suggested that the City needs to work with surrounding areas and groups to tie into their existing and future trails. The Committee agreed and decided to form a sub-Committee to investigate what other connections to other trails were possible and to gather input from the general public. Their representatives of the subcommittee would be brought before the Committee at their next meeting.

Committee member John Wyssling expressed concern that the City may be putting itself at risk due to the fact that the area is settling and filled with mineshafts, etc. Ken Hazel mentioned that releases could be signed that would clear the City of most of the responsibility.

Steve Frank suggested that a press release be made to explain the goals and potentials of the trail system. Dan Petersen agreed to write and release such a statement.

In other matters, the possible funding that was listed on the agenda turned out to be a bit more involved than originally thought. Dan Petersen said he would look further into the matter to see if it would be possible to proceed with the grant.

The Committee voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Dave Peite from the Parks and Recreation Committee. Dan Petersen will investigate the possibilities of changing the bylaws to accomodate more members to the Committee. Davey said larger committees generally make it more difficult to get a quorum. He said, however, that it is possible to change the bylaws to make all present members a quorum no matter if a majority in present or not.

Lou Bonagura asked if "culture" was still part of the Parks and Recreation Committee's commitment. It was pointed out that working on a "heritage trail" would involve culture. The name of the Committee was changed mostly because it was cumbersome to refer to.

With that, the meeting was adjourned.