By David Fleet

Editor

Groveland Twp.-Despite a few hills and rough spots, an off-road park could soon be a reality.

An Oakland County Parks official announced last week that two purchase options were recently signed for 252 acres in the township for a park expansion. The agreements come after the DNR reported in November 2014 a grant for $2.9 million was approved from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the purchase of the property for the Oakland County Parks.

The multi-use park project includes an off-road vehicle course created on some of the former gravel mining ground. The professionally designed track is made to test the skills of drivers and abilities of machines at slow speeds, in a safe, legal environment on the south of Mt. Holly where the noise will not be intrusive nor change the character of the community. The off-road track was opened to the public as a test in late 2014 and attracted several hundred spectators during the Dixie Gully Run.

Jon Noyes, principal planner with Oakland County Parks was pleased with the purchase.

“The next step will be approval by the Natural Resource Commission in October,” said Noyes. “After that, within the next year the current owners of the gravel pits will finish their extractions and close the sites. The properties are being tailored to make an easy to transition into the off road park. Right now much of the property looks like a moonscape; however, there are forested sections, too. As part of the reclamation we are trying to preserve the volunteer vegetation and other natural features of the land.”

Township Supervisor Bob DePalma said township officials were approached by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Commission and the Oakland Department of Parks and Recreation regarding acquiring property between Grange Hall Road to the south, Holdridge Road to the north, I-75 to the west and Dixie Highway on the east side of the proposed area. The mixed use recreational area is near the Groveland Oaks County Park and south of Mt. Holly ski slopes.

Originally property owners Nick Nichols of Oakhaven Farm, Desert Sands, Steve Stolaruk of Star-Batt Inc. and William Leoni of Holly Disposal were under consideration for sale of land for the park. Of those, the properties of Leoni and Stolaruk were evaluated by the DNR and an offer was presented and accepted.

Noyes added that some of the $2.9 million in grants is still available for property purchase. No details were provided nor other acquisitions decided.

“Ultimately there will be an agreement with the State of Michigan to operate the park,” added Noyes. “There’s still a lot to be done, but we are close. Over the past few years we have been working with the local communities to meet their needs regarding this park. There are a variety of considerations including the quality of life in the community and the economic benefits—we just don’t want to burden the area residents in any way. When we started this effort for the creation of an off road park we met with some oppositon. People are often are leery of what they don’t know. So we hosted the Dixie Gully Run to bring in the people from the community for a test event. If it did not work we’d leave.”

The property which incorporates a lot of poplar and cottonwood trees along with a rolling landscape will use the natural features for the off-road vehicles.

“Such vegetation helps stablize the slopes,” he said. “It’s going to still look like a gravel mine, that area is part of our history and that of the community. The materials in the pits helped build Detroit— at one point Oakland County was the gravel capital of the world.”

Future plans will include a 25-acre buffer along Dixie Highwhay for an event area. Special activities such as dune rides, extreme mountain biking and a track for obstacle races is also under consideration

DePalma, who has served in township government for many years emphasized the gravel pit area has prompted at least three requests for sanitary landfills in the community. In addition, several attempts to use the area for businesses have also failed, including an extensive plan offered in 2007 that fizzled due to the collapse of the economy.

“For the past 20 plus years I and other township officials have been battling to keep a landfill out of the township,” he said. “The purchase of the property for a park puts an end to that since it’s the two most likely landfill sites in the area. It’s a huge victory for both Groveland and Holly townships. We appreciate the Oakland County Parks help to bring this project along. We have felt that the optimal solution is to get out of the landfill issue altogether. We have a long term positive relationship with the Oakland County Parks and their management would allow us the best possible solution.”

To learn more about the development of the township property check out Comcast Channel 10 on Sept. 12 or www.grovelandtownship.net and follow Groveland Township on YouTube.