Sometimes long shots do come in.
After five years of hard work and one disheartening denial, the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund board last week awarded Addison Township a $428,000 grant to purchase 80 acres of land ? located one mile west of Leonard Village at the northeast corner of Leonard and Haven roads ? and add it to the existing park system.
‘I was ecstatic,? exclaimed township Supervisor Bruce Pearson. ‘This was really our last shot at it.?
The grant money will be awarded in the spring, then the township can proceed with the purchase.
‘I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for the community,? said Rod Blaszyk, who’s served on the township’s parks committee for about five years.
The land ? currently owned by the Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy and known locally as the Trask property for the family who used to own it ? includes Lake George and contains the headwaters for the Clinton River and the Bell River, the latter of which goes all the way to Marine City. The property consists of wetlands and hardwoods.
‘It’s a very pristine piece of property,? Pearson said. ‘With this 80-acre acquisition now, we’ll own three-quarters of Lake George, plus all of the woodlands to the north of it.?
‘Very few communities are as fortunate as we are to have this type of resource available,? Blaszyk noted. ‘Had we not been successful this would have been sold off to a single owner and quite possibly, put into a hunting preserve where very few people would have had the opportunity to see, enjoy and go through the areas.?
The supervisor indicated the township wants to turn the property into park land on which the public will be able to enjoy fishing, boating and hiking along nature trails. Hunting will also be available exclusively to handicapped folks.
Pearson envisions a nature center being located there at the some point in the future.
A liveable house is located on the property. Pearson said it will remain there and possibly be utilized by park rangers or maybe even caretakers.
All that separates this 80 acres from the township’s 229-acre Watershed Preserve Park is another 80-acre piece, currently owned by a private party.
‘It’s technically separate right now, but the waterways are all connected,? the supervisor explained.
Pearson hopes someday the township will be able to acquire that middle piece of property in order to make it all one big park.
‘Someday we hope to have that all connected with our Polly Ann Trail because that is only half-a-mile down the road,? he added.
Addison residents looking for someone to thank for all this will want to extend their hands in gratitude to Pearson and Blaszyk.
They went to Lansing Dec. 1 to make a last-ditch plea for the grant around 9:30 p.m.
About a year ago, the township was taken off the list for this grant money because state officials didn’t like what they heard during a presentation from Addison’s previous leadership, according to Pearson.
‘We had been denied because the presentation that was made (last year) talked about the need to buy it so nobody else could and wanting to put up no trespassing signs all around it,? the supervisor explained. ‘That isn’t what they want to hear. They want to hear how we’re providing recreation for the community.?
Pearson admitted he wasn’t sure how things would go this time around because he and Blaszyk faced some stiff competition.
‘We were up against high-powered people there,? he said. ‘We were up against senators and state representatives all speaking (for) their projects for their particular communities.?
Pearson and Blaszyk didn’t rely on fancy words or polished rhetoric to get their point across.
‘Ours was a completely unorthodox talk,? the supervisor said. ‘I went up there and I didn’t have a written script. I just did it off the cuff from my heart and that made the difference. Two guys went up there and gave it their all.?
One of the arguments that swayed the trust fund board, in Pearson’s opinion, was the fact this soon-to-be park land is located 30-45 minutes away from 2 million people who would be able to enjoy its recreational opportunities and natural beauty.
‘You have a place where they can come for an afternoon, forget their worries in this economy and think they’re in the Upper Peninsula,? he explained. ‘We’re not looking for handouts. We’re looking for a partnership with (the state) because we’re helping you do your job, too.?
They also talked about things Addison has done over the last year such as how the community rallied to save the historic Arnold Schoolhouse and relocate it to the Watershed Preserve Park, so it can be utilized and enjoyed by future generations.
‘All of the volunteer work that we’ve had going on at Watershed (Park) . . . lent tremendous credibility to the project in the eyes of the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund,? Blaszyk noted. ‘I would just like to thank all the volunteers in the community that have come forward with donations of labor, support, funding and everything else they’ve helped us do to acquire this and the other properties for the township.?
The trust fund board must have really been intrigued by Addison’s proposal because Pearson and Blaszyk received extra time.
‘They give you three minutes and that’s it. Then they bong you,? Pearson explained. ‘Everyone was getting bonged. Well, we were the third to last up there. When they bonged up, they said please don’t stop, keep going.?
The next morning, despite the Addison project’s initial low score compared to the other 41 applications, the trust fund board announced the township would get its grant money.
‘We were the only one that they changed their mind on in the whole process,? Pearson noted. ‘And they said it was because of our presentation. That was very nice of them.?