By David Fleet
Editor
Atlas Twp.— On Monday night the Atlas Township Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to replace the recreational pathways millage.
A yes vote on the Aug. 6 ballot, means an existing millage of .125 or $6.25 per year taxable value $100,000 will continue. The five year millage will generate an estimated $56,625 for the first year and expire in 2028. The millage provides funds to maintain and construct recreational pathways in the township.
In November 2014 area voters went to the polls and OK’d recreational pathways by a vote of 1,664 yes to 1,502 no. Then in 2018 recreational pathways millage was renewed for five years by a margin of 1,239 yes to 817 no.
The ‘Walk, Bike, Run Atlas Township committee formed in 2013 and gathered 358 signed petitions from residents in support of recreational paths in the township. The committee reported trails are necessary to provide a sense of community, increase property values, offer a safe location for outdoor activities, attract young families to the community, and improve the health of residents. Much of the funding for the projects come from established grant sources such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. However, matching dollars are often needed which will be funded by the pathway millage.
Currently, construction of a two-mile section of the Iron Belle Trail from Atlas to Grand Blanc Township connecting the existing Gale Road trail and ending near Mancour Drive just east of the Grand Blanc Middle School is underway.