Atlas Twp.-One more piece of funding for the Gale Road trail will be coming to the township.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund announced earlier this month it has recommended $300,000 in funding for construction of the one-mile long path along the Gale Road right-of-way. The township trail will parallel the west side of Gale Road, providing a safe access to Oaktree Elementary School at its southern end, and tying into existing sidewalks in the Village of Atlas on the northern end.
‘This project will provide Atlas Township residents with a means of safely walking or biking to their destination while enjoying the outdoors,? said Rep. Joseph Graves, R- Argentine Township. ‘Extending the Iron Belle Trail also connects us to a great project to bring all of Michigan together. People exploring the trail will get the chance to see what we have to offer here.?
The trail was created by the citizen-led group Walk, Bike, Run Atlas Township. County officials recognized the township group’s initiative to create new recreational trails within their community. Through a grass roots effort, township officials and residents distributed surveys community-wide, established a social media outlet, and actively engaged residents, leading to success in the effort. The process included voters passing, by a 1,664 yes to 1,502 no margin, a 1/8 mill or $6 per year for a $100,000 home that will generate about $33,292 per year to fund the pathways in the township. This trails millage was the first of its kind in Genesee County and one of few in the State of Michigan, say county officials.
The estimated cost of the Gale Road Trail will be $778,173. The $300,000 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant plus $300,000 from the Transportation Alternatives Program or TAP Grant will comprise about 80 percent of the money needed for the project. The balance, about $180,000 in matching funds, will be provided by Atlas Township from the millage approved last November.
The Atlas section of trail will be part of the Iron Belle Trail, a statewide project to connect Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the Western Upper Peninsula’more than 1,200 miles. The completed project will actually be made up of two trails, one for hiking and one for bicycling.
‘We are thrilled with the grant,? said Shirley Kautman-Jones, township supervisor. ‘The process required the assistance of many individuals and a lot of hard work.?