by Loren » February 16th, 2012, 12:11 pm
I've sent the following to the board of trustees and our parks contacts, and we've received a pretty positive response in phone discussions and emails. I think the next steps reside with the township, but we've discussed scheduling a walk through of the park with them later this Spring.
We'd like to congratulate you and the citizens of Northville in adopting a truly inspiring master plan for the 7 Mile Road Park. A number of our Northville members have been participating in the process and have been in contact with me regarding ways in which we as an organization can help move this plan forward. This is an impressive, ambitious vision that can rally community groups far into the future, and the Michigan Mountain Biking Association would like to be part of this future.
The Michigan Mountain Biking Association works with land managers to develop and maintain trail systems in state, county, and township parks throughout Michigan. Our local chapter, Metro South, actively works with the following organizations:
- Commerce Township, where we maintain approximately 6.5 miles of multi-use trail at Hickory Glen Park. Earlier this year, the Township honored us with a Parks and Recreation Outstanding Service award for 2011 in recognition of this work.
- The City of Novi, where our cooperative partnership to build and maintain the trail system at Lakeshore Park stretches over a decade. These trails were cited as a reason Money magazine rated Novi as a top 50 best places to live in recent years, and summer evenings frequently find the parking lots filled.
- The Charter Township of Milford, where we have developed approximately 6 miles of multi-use trail and contributed to the development of several connecting pathway projects. These trails have helped position Milford as a bike-friendly community, bringing hundreds of visitors into the area for organized racing and riding events.
- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, our partner in maintaining the 6 miles of trail at Maybury State Park, 16 miles at Highland Recreation Area, 16 miles at Island Lake Recreation Area, and 10 miles at Proud Lake Recreation Area.
Each of our trails has one or more designated Trail Coordinators, providing a single point of contact between the land manager and our volunteers. These coordinators have access to skilled trail designers educated in International Mountain Biking Association and USDA Forest Service standards for the construction of sustainable multi-use trail systems, and a large pool of passionate volunteers and crew leaders. As a chapter, we contribute an average of 2,000 volunteer hours each year on these local trails, and our trail days can bring in as many as 50 volunteers. In addition to labor, our organization designs and installs maps and directional signage, builds bridges and boardwalks as necessary, and builds sign kiosks and other trail infrastructure. This work is made possible through the efforts of our mountain biking volunteers, their membership dollars, the proceeds of our fundraising events, and corporate grants.
When you are ready, we would like to work with you to make the 7 Mile Road Park mountain bike trails a reality.
Feel free to forward this to the appropriate team, and contact me at any time to discuss this further.
Regards,
Loren Konkus
President, Michigan Mountain Biking Association, Metro South chapter