Could a 30-year vision of building a complete trail loop around Boardman Lake soon become a reality?

At a Traverse City commission study session Monday night, TART Trails representatives unveiled a detailed plan for completing the final missing 1.5 mile trail segment of the Boardman Lake Trail. Since 2002, TART Trails, Traverse City, Garfield Township, and Grand Traverse County have partnered together to build nearly three miles of trail around the lake, with funding split between the partners and state grants. TART secured donated easements – now held by the city – valued at more than $200,000 from property owners around the lake to help build the trail.

Thanks to a $75,000 Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) coastal zone management grant and matching brownfield funding, officials have spent the past year working on a preliminary design for the last missing trail connection. The gap in the loop stretches around the western boundary of the lake from Fourteenth Street to Medalie Park. Design firm Prein&Newhof was hired to conduct a complete topographical survey of the corridor, and to provide drawings for a recommended trail route.

Firm representatives unveiled the proposed trail route to commissioners Monday. Sketches show the new extension hugging the railroad corridor along Cass Road, looping around the Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) campus on Cass, and cutting across the lake on a 12-foot wide boardwalk over to Logan's Landing. An offshoot connector just past NMC jaunts over to Wysong Road, providing commuter access to the trail from South Airport Road. The route ends with a bridge across the Boardman River from Logan's Landing to Medalie Park, completing the loop around the lake.

Prein&Newhof mentioned other route options they had considered but rejected for either safety, accessibility or environmental reasons. The preferred route was ultimately chosen because it meets ADA requirements, offers multiple stops for scenic/fishing overlooks and rest points, would accommodate both commuters and recreational or family users, and was the most environmentally sensitive. The final design offers a "nice balance of practical and beautiful at the same time," said Matt Levandoski of Prein&Newhof.

The new trail route is estimated to cost $5.3 million to complete. According to TART Trails Executive Director Julie Clark, $3.6 million (or 68 percent of the construction budget) is already earmarked in brownfield funding for the project. TART will seek an $800,000 commitment from Garfield Township trustees at their 6pm meeting tonight (Tuesday), leaving an $877,000 funding gap, or the remaining 17 percent of project costs. The city could help cover those costs, and partners could also apply for state grants, which "have funded the Boardman Lake Trail since day one," Clark said.

Clark also provided a second funding scenario that included an additional $530,000 allocation to create an endowment fund for ongoing maintenance of the trail. City, township and county officials have struggled in recent years to determine which entities are responsible for maintenance and operation costs along shared TART routes. By establishing an endowed maintenance fund, said Clark, the annual return on the fund would be enough to cover the estimated $17,500 in annual maintenance costs for the entire Boardman Lake Trail, including the proposed new segment.

TART Trails also recommended establishing a joint recreational authority in the future to oversee the trail system and manage the maintenance fund through an intergovernmental agreement. While city commissioners Monday indicated both the idea of a rec authority and a long-term maintenance fund would require more detailed discussion in the coming months, the board expressed unanimous support for the design itself.

"I think the design is amazing," said Commissioner Gary Howe. "We tend to build utilitarian trails, and I think this kind of ups the game." Commissioner Tim Werner said "I certainly love the preliminary design we've got so far," while Commissioner Ross Richardson called the trail route a "great plan."

Richardson and Commissioner Richard Lewis also asked Trail Engineer Scott Post of Prein&Newhof about the accuracy of the $5.3 million price tag and whether the project could be completed in phases or scaled down if participating partners had trouble securing funding. Post said the cost estimate "was based on very recent bid tabs...plus an internal contigency on the number itself, and in addition to that there was a 10 percent contigency added to the whole overall project. I am very comfortable with those numbers." Post also affirmed a phased approach was an option for implementing the trail, and said certain project elements - such as overlook bumpouts, signage, benches and landscaping - could be removed or else added at a later date to reduce the initial budget if needed.

Based on commissioners' feedback, City Manager Marty Colburn said he intended to put an official resolution of support on the city commission's September 6 agenda for a vote "to have us commit to moving forward. It doesn't mean we commit to the construction...but (that we) continue with fundraising and nail down all the details that need to be nailed down." 

"We want to make sure that we can afford this and that our partners are willing to work with us," agreed Mayor Jim Carruthers. "I think that’s part of the next process."