Swartz Creek View

City to resubmit grant application for trail extension




SWARTZ CREEK – There’s good news and bad news for the trail extension project planned in Swartz Creek.

City officials and consultants have worked for months to secure funding to extend the non-motorized Genesee Valley Trail from Norko Drive in Flint Township to Elms Park.

The estimated $1 million project depends on the city obtaining grants to cover about 87 percent of the cost.

The state Department of Transportation green-lighted the city’s application for a $600,000 Transportation Alternatives Program grant last year, but the Department of Natural Resources turned down a request for a $300,000 Recreation Passport grant.

The DNR grant is critical to offset the 35 percent contribution the city must make to get the final OK for the MDOT money.

City Manager Adam Zettel said the city will submit a revised grant application this year. He said he will look for other funding options in the meantime, and he’s still optimistic the city will break ground on the trail in 2020.

The project is the first phase of a plan to continue the trail along the Swartz Creek to Abrams Park and the western city limits. If accomplished, it would connect the city to the state’s Iron Belle Trail, which ultimately will extend from Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula. The Iron Belle is a high priority for the state, Zettel has said.

Plans include extending the 10-foot-wide trail west from Dye Road, through MTA property to Miller Road, along the rights of way on Miller and Bristol roads, then south along a Consumers Energy easement behind residential property, to the back of Elms Park.

Zettel said Consumers Energy and CN railroad officials have expressed an interest in allowing the trail to utilize property the companies own. He is still working with GM and MTA for permissions and easements.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.