By David Fleet

Editor

Atlas Twp.

– The township will have its first county park.

On Dec. 7, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board convened at Lansing Community College to announce their decision on 27 applications seeking more than $31 million in requests for funding statewide.

A grant for $540,200 sought by the Genesee County Parks and Recreation to purchase a 155-acre parcel on the north side of Hegel Road about 800 feet east of Gale Road was approved by the board.

Amy McMillian, GCPR director, was pleased with the decision.

“The transfer of property will be early in 2017,” said McMillian. “There will be parking and a small pavilion on the property, too. The public will be able to hike and use the Kearsley Creek next spring—it’s an awesome property. We appriciate the support from the township and Village of Goodrich in helping the

Genesee County Parks secure the property—such parcels are very difficult to find in southern Genesee County.”

The property incorporates an abandoned Detroit Urban Railroad railbed as well as the Kearsley Creek and frontage on the Atlas Mill Pond. Owned by the Polus family the wooded parcel was purchased about 40 years ago as a speculative land investment and was for sale for many years; however, last year the family approached the township about purchasing the land for recreational use.

The property was targeted by the Genesee County Parks and Recreation about a year and half ago. Township officials contacted McMillan to see if the they could possibly apply for a grant to purchase the property. In October 2015, the GCPR contacted the Six Rivers Land Conservancy to determine the possible use of the land that is a mix of wetlands, open space and woodland.

“Genesee County has about 11,000 acres of park land—we were not really looking for more, but large tracts of property do not come along too often. Also, this land is near the new Gale Road pathway, so it’s just a good fit, “she added.

Following the assessment, on April 1 the GCPR applied for the grant from the MNRTF. Now the GCPR will need to fund the balance, an estimated $182,000 of the purchase price, to obtain the property. The NRTF was established exclusively for acquisition and development of public land, and funding comes from royalties on the sale and lease of state-owned mineral rights. When the NRTF was voted into the Michigan Constitution in 1984 it was to be used for conservation, resource protection, public outdoor recreation and to develop outdoor recreation facilities such as the Atlas Township property.

The property includes a parcel owned by Consumers Energy running diagonally through the middle of the land. In addition, walking paths, scenic overlooks, a pavilion and parking area at the front along Hegel Road could be incorporated in the design of the park. The public access to the Atlas Mill Pond would offer canoeing and kayaking opportunities from a livery on the shoreline.

The competition for the NRTF grant is fierce, so in order to increase the chances of obtaining the funding for the park land a collaboration with the township is necessary.