By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
ssoldan@mihomepaper.com
Ortonville — During the regular Monday night meeting, Ortonville village manager Ryan Madis gave a presentation to the Brandon Board of Education about the Ortonville Wildlife Preservation Park.
“We have a lot going on in the park,” said Madis. “The village received the 47 acre park property in the late 80s. It is the site of some of the oldest cedar trees in Oakland County. And it hasn’t been touched since it was a mill pond. It stopped being a mill pond in the late 50s, early 60s. It’s just been preserved this whole time.”
The property was deeded to the village for a nature park, and the Friends of Ortonville Trails group has been working on rural foot paths through the park.
“We know that the village is interested in developing the trail network,” said Madis. “Walkable and open to users in a structured way that fits the village ordinances. We also know that some of the best gems in the park are on school property, and it’s a project we can approach together to serve all users in a safe way. We’re in the earliest stages of that process.”
One of the possible spots for a trail is to follow the old Detroit Interurban Railway path through the park, which used to go over the mill pond. There are still some visible footings for the bridge in the Kearsley Creek.
“The Detroit Interurban Railway came through town, it was a line that connected Flint to Detroit on a daily basis, with stops in Orion, Oxford and Ortonville,” said Madis. “We also have a group called ITC, they’re a power company. They own old railroad beds throughout the state, and they thought they might want to run power through them, so they own an easement on the old DUR track. So we’re allowed to improve it to a certain extent.”
There is also a portion of property connected to the park that has no owner on record, and never has.
“When it stopped being a mill pond, and the village received part of the land and the school did too, there’s part of it that’s just never been claimed,” said Madis. “It’s never been taxed.”
The purpose of the presentation is to start the conversation on a joint effort to bring safe, walkable paths through the park for the community.
“There’s a lot of ways we could work together,” he said. “We want to make sure the kids are safe while they’re at school, and users can use the trail and take that walk during lunch time, but do it in a safe way that’s safe for everybody.”
To get involved with the Friends of the Ortonville Trails, visit ortonvillevillage.com