Non-Motorized Workshop Held on Thursday

IRONWOOD, MI - by Keri Singleton - Friday, December 11, 2009 - A workshop was held Thursday, December 10, 2009, including the Ironwood, Michigan, City Council, and members of area groups that are very interested in non-motorized trails. All Commissioners were present: Mayor Bob Burchell, Kim Corcoran, Rick Semo, William Lucius, and Gemma Lamb. The four groups represented at the workshop were: City Parks and Recreation Committee, The Next Generation Group, The Miner’s Memorial Group, and The North Country Trail Group.

City manager, Scott Erickson, began the workshop at 5:30 PM, in the Women’s Group Room of the Memorial Building, downtown Ironwood. Scott welcomed the Commission, and everyone else in attendance, saying that is was a good chance to put some ideas before the board, and get a free flow of communication going. He said the City would be looking at both motorized and non-motorized trail proposals, and not one more than the other. Tonight’s attention; however, was on non-motorized trails.

The workshop was then turned over to Sam Davey, representing Parks and Recreation, for an update. He showed the Commission a proposal (map) for motorized and non-motorized trails, including a mountain bike trail. He said that there are a lot of land issues to clear up. In answer to a question by Gemma Lamb, Manager Erickson said that the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) was looking into ownership of railroad grades running between Ironwood and Wakefield.

Sam told the group that some people have asked him if where the SISU race comes through the caves area, upon getting easements from the high school and church, if they could groom the cross country ski trail. It would be from a mile to a mile and a quarter long when done. The project would be done free of charge by a public group, and would be technically a city ski trail. Mr. Semo commented that it was a nice framework.

Scott Erickson told them that the City wants to create a trail network throughout the community, so one can get basically anywhere in the community through trail systems. The routes can be off as well as on street routes, he told them. Mr. Erickson said the thing to look at is whether they can get funding to do the trails in conjunction with fixing the streets.

Commissioner Gemma Lamb asked whether the City was looking into safe routes for schools, because there are grants that are available, as linking the schools will be a trail system. Scott said they want to get all the information on a planning document, so they can see how everything does interconnect, and to get it incorporated into the five year capital plan for parks, so they can go after grants, as everything has to be part of an approved plan before they can get grants.

Sam said that the Parks and Recreation plan that is in effect until 2011 already contains a lot of trail business. He said their plan is to connect Ironwood, but also Hurley, Montreal, Bessemer, Wakefield, and everything else. It is still undecided whether North Country Trail will route through Ironwood.

John Garske, (Ironwood Industrial Development Corporation), representing the Strengthening Our Niche Group, and Promoting our Strengths Group, brought out a regional trail map, and said it was in concept only. He said the main concept is to build a regional trail system, through five communities, from Montreal, WI, to Wakefield, MI. Mr. Garske said they are looking at a hiking/bike path, and what the best way to fund something like this would be. He said when you are looking at a regional trail system, it’s important that it has a start point and that it connects with other trails, to get funding. He said they are looking at old US2 (south) and the old SOO line as a possible route, and the title searches have been done. He said the DNR is working on it right now, as far as what the railroad will do. John said they have approached several communities, for informational purposes, and for the most part, the response has been positive. Almost a second idea, according to John, was a heritage route.

“Old US2 goes through all the old mining locations, making it a natural thing for an alternate tour”, he said, for people that don’t want to bike or hike. He noted Anvil as an example of somewhere people may not want to hike. As a concept idea, there is a loop route by the transfer station, or back over in Anvil, where access to the trail is gained. If it goes along old US2, it would probably go along the edge of the road, according to the concept. Their other concept is the old SOO line, which is in limbo right now.

He stated that the way to move forward is to keep approaching communities, putting the idea forth, and see what they think about it, while refining it, getting it down into final form. He said he thinks the thought is for the old SOO railroad line, to be implemented as a non-motorized trail. They want to avoid conflicts with motorized trails. Old US2 does have problems with hills, he said. There is funding available for heritage routes, through another part of the state agencies. Funding for the concept could come from Rails to Trails, Michigan DOT, acquisition might come from DNR.

Gemma Lamb mentioned how Charlie Supercynski (President of Copper Peak) is advocating for a heritage trail along old US2, and how he is working on a brochure with the various communities where they have heritage points of interest. The brochure will be to draw more people into the area.

Mr. Garske noted some of the places on his concept map are: Sunday Lake, with a pathway around it, Plymouth Pit area, Ramsey, Anvil, some of the mining locations, Bessemer, back into Jessieville, then to Montreal. He reiterated that this is just a concept.

City Manager Erickson said that the City would be trying to include trail work when they redo Lake Road from US2 to Margaret Street. He said they have been in preliminary discussions with the DOT (Department of Transportation) regarding that issue, to see if it is fundable or not. He stated that to get grant money, the state wants to see if your trail connects to a regional system, such as the concept given by John Garske.

Morgan Grasso took stage next. He gave a synopsis by Dick Swanson, about what is going on with their chapter, North Country Trail: The highlights are here: North Country, Ashland scenic trail, when completed, will be the longest hiking trail in the nation, extending some 4,600 miles, and crossing seven states, from North Dakota to New York. They currently have seventeen members in their chapter, and another twenty helpers. It’s a diverse group, made up of many different occupations, but sharing a love of the outdoors and enjoys this area. Their area of the trail consists of two portions. The portion that’s already in place goes from just north of Copper Peak, along the Black River, down to Black River, then east to highway m64. They are in the process of applying for funding from the National Park Service for materials to build a number of bridges next summer. They have spent over $600.00 clearing and marking the trail and marking wet areas. The second portion of the trail is the new section that will traverse from the Copper Peak area over to the Michigan/Wisconsin border, then on to Copper Falls State Park. They hope to start this new section in the spring. There’s another portion called the alternate route that could go from Copper Peak and head south into Ironwood, then over to Hurley, and west of Hurley. The North Country Trail Association held it’s annual conference in North Dakota, next year it will be in Ashland, Wisconsin.

It will be heavily promoted. The conference is early June or July, date to come.

Jackie Powers, President, Friends of Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park, addressed the group, stating that a little over a year ago; she also served on the planning commission, and that time they were talking about selling/and or/ rezoning some land within the caves area. Jackie explained how odd it was to her, coming from Illinois, to hear talk of taking open land and turning it into an industrial area. She said she soon learned, from talking to others, that it wasn’t a popular idea, so she encouraged people to come and speak at meetings on behalf of the caves area, wanting to use it for recreation, not what is was being used for.

She went on to say how the Planning Commissioner at the time told the group that there was a new vision he wanted to give a chance to. The vision prevailed, and the land wasn’t sold. At the December meeting, almost a year ago, many of these people came to the December Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, and offered to help developing a trail system. So a subcommittee was formed to tackle to issue of a citywide trail system. They soon were overwhelmed with the history of the caves, the background, and the beauty of the land that many weren’t aware of. They realized the land would be better served if it was preserved, and made into a park, and that’s how Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park idea was born, Jackie told the group. The City made a resolution to support the concept of a Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park. Things then stalled, because of multiple reasons, such as land ownership questions. Jackie proposed support for all the trail systems. The North Country Trail System spans seven states, of which the Gogebic Range’s trail plan that The Next Generation proposed, is a smaller segment, regional trail system, within which we have Ironwood’s trail system, and within that would be Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park. Jackie is looking at: why are we doing this, what is the mission, and what does the research say, to support why we’re doing what we’re doing.

Should the City decide to go forward with the park, the Friend’s Of The Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park would be one group of people who would build the park, build trails, raise money, and do the “rough work”. There are three benefits to society through non-motorized trails, and the park, says Jackie. The park and trails have to happen in conjunction, according to her. The three benefits would be: Four season exercise and recreational venues, knowledge and respect for the mining heritage, indirect and direct economic benefits. She went on to explain what the trails can do for us: outdoor recreation, human powered recreation, with studies showing that people want to access recreational activities within 2-3 minutes of home. Outdoor recreation is paramount to health, said Jackie. If there is a vista or relic of historical significance, they can put up a plaque to mark it, and develop a self-guided walking tour. Jackie said she hopes to get people’s attention to the fact that capitalizing on mining heritage is not new, as shown in the 1991 Comprehensive Plan for Ironwood, it calls for a miner’s monument in the downtown district.

She quoted from that plan, “The communities’ identity needs to be established.” They were suggesting a mining identity, says Powers.

She quotes, “We were encouraged to take a comprehensive approach to protecting special vistas, scenic roads, entryways that give the area a special, unique sense of place and image.” Jackie says that’s what the Regional Trail System’s trying to do, that’s what Parks and Recreation is trying to do, and also what the MMHP would be about. The last part was economic development. Non-motorized trails, in Jackie’s opinion, human-powered recreational trails, and the park, would benefit the area economically by: bringing more tourists, and attracting homebuyers. Studies show, she said, houses go up 20% if they are located by a park. More studies show, according to Jackie, that small businesses decide where to locate, based on what they perceive the quality of life will be like for their employees.

Powers concluded by explaining the reasons for the park with the trails: there’s a lot more opportunity with a park, and trails are enhanced by nature.

In Ontonagon, at a workshop called “Get Outdoors Michigan,” sponsored by the “Leave No Child Inside” Coalition, Jackie learned all about what the outdoors does for children. They have linked everything from hyperactivity, poor grades, and obesity, and other health problems to children being indoors all the time. She shared some shocking statistics: children between the ages of six months and six years spend an average of an hour and a half a day with electronic media. Youth between eight and eighteen average six and a half hours a day with electronic media, which comes out to forty-five hours a week in front of electronic media. Obesity in children went from four percent in the 60’s, to twenty percent in 2004. 62% of children do not participate in any organized physical activity, and 23% do not participate in any free time physical activity.

Jackie went on to say we have 19 parks here, and couldn’t name them. She dreams of getting all of our parks resurrected, and basically have every child be able to go a block or two from their home and play, without fear of getting run over by a car.

“Of course, fear of wild animals, fear of gangs, fear of falling down and getting hurt; these are all reasons parents give for not letting their kids go outside anymore.” She says she believes we will see a national trend to reverse it, because the consequences are just too high.

As far as the Friend’s of Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park is concerned, Powers says they are in limbo, knowing there is a series of workshops going on right now, looking at the issue holistically, which they are really happy for. The Friends want to build a memorial to the mining heritage; they want to have non-motorized human-powered trails, within the park. They want to develop a park-like setting that is reverent and historic, yet nature-based, and outdoors. The amount of land remains to be seen. They also envisioned a park with a memorial on one end of the caves, and having a small park near Pioneer homes, which would be handicapped accessible. She stressed that there are many ideas for where they can go with the park. Jackie applauded the workshop’s efforts to handle the issue at hand.

City manager Scott Erickson acknowledged the effort of the community and all involved. He said there would be no decisions tonight, and the workshops will continue; verifying they are “partway there”. Mayor Bob Burchell said he is impressed with everyone’s efforts, and something definitely will be accomplished. Jackie stressed a small amount of land goes a long way.

A shared vision of some is a lighted 1 or 2 K loop, where people can have night activities.

Audience member Tom Kangas reminded everyone that there was a lighted course around 1980 at the Superior House on US2, to which the Mayor said they might have been ahead of their time.