Given the Governor’s background in conservation, this it certainly fitting. This background is highlighted in the name change resolution (see below) that was passed by the Natural Resources Commission last month.

Another conservationist will also be honored at the park. The Stroh family contributed funding in honor of the late Peter Stroh to help make this park possible. As the N.Y. Times reported, “Mr. Stroh was a founding board member of Conservation International and served on the boards of the Nature Conservancy, the National Audubon Society and the Atlantic Salmon Federation.”

Speaking of the park, the big question is when will this new section be open? The last we checked, portions of the bike path have been paved but more landscaping needs to be completed. The weather is really the determining factor on when the project will be done. The contract specifies a November completion and the DNR is still hoping for the end of this month. However, the rain and cold weather aren’t helping.

This Resolution was adopted by unanimous vote of the Natural Resources Commission on September?11, 2009, at its regular meeting.

RESOLUTION OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION TO

RENAME THE TRI-CENTENNIAL STATE PARK AND HARBOR TO THE

WILLIAM G. MILLIKEN STATE PARK AND HARBOR

WHEREAS, William G. Milliken served as the 44^th Governor of the State of Michigan from 1969-1983, spanning a total of fourteen years, the longest in this state’s history; and

WHEREAS, William G. Milliken, as Governor of the State of Michigan, was noted for education reform and urban policy development, and championed civil rights and environmental protection; and

WHEREAS, William G. Milliken played a significant role in developing the state’s revenue sharing program that helped urban areas like the City of Detroit during troubled economic times; and

WHEREAS, William G. Milliken advocated expansion of public access to Michigan’s water resources, and investment of recreation resources into the state’s urban areas, particularly Detroit; and

WHEREAS, William G. Milliken’s administration was noted for its conservation commitment and work for passage of the Environmental Protection Act, Wetlands Protection Act, Bottle Bill, Truth in Pollution Laws, Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Hazardous Waste Act and others; and

WHEREAS, William G. Milliken continued his service to the citizens of the State of Michigan by chairing the Center for the Great Lakes, which was devoted to protecting regional lake resources.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Michigan Natural Resources Commission hereby recognizes William G. Milliken for enhancing the quality of life of all Michigan residents and for his lifelong dedication to Michigan’s natural resources.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Michigan Natural Resources Commission pays tribute to William G. Milliken by naming Michigan’s 98^th state park in his honor.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that effective October 1, 2009 in perpetuity, the

31-acre state park in downtown Detroit currently known as the Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor be renamed the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor.

Related Posts

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• Biking and Trails in the Media
• Public Workshop for Tri-Centennial State Park

This will be an amazing addition to the RiverWalk. It’s certainly softer and more natural than the other sections. All of the plantings are native to Michigan.

There was an initial concern that geese would try eating many of the early plantings, but the DNR was able to prevent that. Now there is a muskrat that has been digging up the young plantings. He may be trapped and moved so that the plants have a better chance of establishing themselves.

You may notice the monarch butterflies on the purple coneflowers. There were quite a few there today as they make their way south towards Point Pelee, Ontario. The butterflies gather at the Point and make the flight across Lake Erie in large groups.

There was no official word on when this portion of the park will open. The bike path still needs to be paved and landscaped.

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A new section of the Detroit RiverWalk is set to open this Sunday, but only for members of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy. If you’re not a member yet, you have until Friday to join and get your free pass.

From the DRC web site:

The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy is hosting its first Member Appreciation Open House on Sunday, September 27 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at Rivard Plaza. The event will feature a sneak peek tour of the soon-to-open, new 6-acre section of Tri-Centennial State Park. Tours will begin at 15 minute intervals throughout the afternoon.

This family-oriented Open House will feature a variety of interactive nature exhibits from the Nature Discovery (Michigan amphibians & reptiles), Wildlife Recovery Association (Michigan birds of prey) and the Howell Nature Center (Birds of prey and Michigan mammals). Michigan Sea Grant and Riverside Kayak will also be onsite to showcase kayaking and fishing on the Detroit Riverfront.

Conservancy members will be able to enjoy complimentary refreshments from the RiverWalk Cafe and free carousel rides. Diamond Jack will provide complimentary river tours for members.

This new section of the state park helps close some of the gap between the RiverWalk and Dequindre Cut.

Model D also has additional coverage of this event.

There is also discussion underway to rename Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor to the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor. That seems like a fine idea given the former Michigan governor’s dedication to environmental preservation.

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• Photos from the Tri-Centennial sneak peek
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Here’s a collection of recent media coverage regarding trails and biking across Metro Detroit.

Orion Township

The Oakland Press is reporting on improvements to the Polly Ann Trail extension. This extension runs from the south border of the Indianwood Golf Course to just south of Waldon. This is 3.5 miles in total. The new surface is apparently crushed limestone similar to the Paint Creek.

Unfortunately Orion Township is still pushing side paths (known as safety paths in Oakland County) as bicycling facilities despite the national guidelines saying they shouldn’t be. While sidepaths and sidewalks are fine for pedestrians and less skilled riders, they should not be designated bicycle facilities. Instead the township should be calling for safe on-road bicycling facilities that meet the AASHTO national guidelines.

Shelby Township

The Free Press gave brief mention to the trail construction underway in Shelby Township as part of the much larger Macomb Trail Loop.

Construction is under way for a hiking and bike trail that is designed to eventually link to a loop around central and northern Macomb County.

Crews are building a 1-mile trail in River Bends Park near 22 Mile and Shelby Road in Shelby Township that will link up with a trail that runs along the Clinton River in Dodge Park in Sterling Heights.

Leaders plan to eventually have a 70-mile trail loop. So far, 44 miles are completed.

Detroit RiverWalk

Crain’s Detroit Business has thorough article on the Detroit RiverWalk and Dequindre Cut — they’re current status, planned construction, and future developments.

The pace of private investment in the riverfront district has slowed with the economy, but plans to bring aesthetic improvement and ease accessibility to the river are to be finished or expanded.

Current public space improvements will serve as a foundation for renewed private development on the water once the economy rebounds, said Faye Alexander Nelson, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

Two of the six major residential developments that were in the planning process in 2007 are still moving; one has been reconfigured as an office/industrial building.

The DNR is also continuing to move forward with future enhancements to Tri-Centennial State Park next to the Rivard Plaza. The next phase will certainly include yet another RiverWalk path extension and an improved connection to the Dequindre Cut.

Detroit’s Green Task Force

M-Live has a great written and audio coverage of Detroit’s Green Task Force, which headed by Detroit Council President Ken Cockrel, Jr.

Bicycle trails and greenways trough out the City of Detroit are part of the Green Task Force’s non-motorized plans.

“At least during the warm weather months, I like to bike a lot, and I’m a big fan of the Dequindre Cut, the new trail opened up earlier this year for walkers, joggers and bikers,” Cockrel says. “And we want to do more of that in Detroit.”

Yes we do want to do more of that! In fact, in my role as Detroit Greenways Coordinator for MTGA, we recently proposed an eight-figure stimulus request which would effectively extend the Dequindre Cut around the city’s midsection. While this proposal is not looking too likely today, there is a great deal of interest among many parties to make it happen somehow.

Pizza Super Highway

Model D has a very cool article on Detroiter Karen Gage. Given that Karen’s an owner of Wheelhouse Detroit, it’s no surprise bicycling is entertwined in her daily routine.

Noon: A slice at Supino Pizzeria in Eastern Market. If she can squeeze it in, she loves to grab lunch at this relatively new spot next to the region’s premier farmers market. “It is hands down the best pizza I’ve ever had,” she says. The Wheelhouse crew often bikes there on the Dequindre Cut bike path, which opened this year. With graffiti encouraged, the $3 million, 1.2 mile greenway replaced a former depressed rail corridor. And now Karen and the bike shop crew call it their “pizza super highway.”

With her job at the New Center Council, Gage is also active in promoting non-motorized transportation, including potential bike lanes along Second Avenue, which would connect the Fisher Building to the Wayne State Campus.

Getting Outdoors

And finally, the Detroit News is reminding everyone to get outside as summer wraps up and take advantage of the many opportunties that we have in Metro Detroit. Our favorite quote is from another Wheelhouse Detroit owner.

“Biking is absolutely the best way to see Detroit,” says Kelli Kavanaugh of Wheelhouse Detroit, which rents bikes and also provides bike tours of the city. “It’s flat and fast and, since our roads were built for a population of 2 million, there is plenty of room on them for bikes,” Kavanaugh says. “It’s healthy … it’s green, and most of all it is super fun.”

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Make sure you stop by the M.T.G.A. booth at the RiverDays event this weekend on the RiverWalk

The Metro Times has a new article, Rolling on the Riverwalk, which provides an overview of Tri-Centennial state park construction and how it fits in with the Detroit RiverWalk.

In the current era of uncertainty in the auto industry, the Riverwalk is promising a bright future for human-powered movement.

And on a related note, today the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Michigan State Parks. There will be a cake cutting at Tri-Centennial State Park at 4pm today, June 20th. So come downtown, enjoy the RiverWalk, Dequindre Cut, and have some cake.

The Detroit News has an article, Michigan ramps up roads and trails to make bicycling easier.

The Michigan Department of Transportation now maintains more than 2,560 miles of paved shoulder with bicycle access. The state also has more than 1,394 miles of rails-to-trails — abandoned railroad tracks that have been converted into biking, hiking and walking trails. Combine those rails-to-trails with trails through parks and public land, and downtowns and neighborhoods, and the stretch increases to more than 2,000 miles, said Nancy Krupiarz, executive director of the Lansing-based nonprofit Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. Additional bike-hike trails and greenways are expected.

This article wraps up with a great quote about biking from Rochester resident Colleen Brown.

“It’s like being a kid again. I always tell people that no matter how bad you feel, get on a bike. Ride around the neighborhood, feel the wind and sun on your face. You see the world differently. When you bike you can stop and smell the roses.”

Related Posts

• Update on Milliken State Park and Globe Building
• Goodbye Tri-Centennial. Hello Milliken State Park.
• Pedal Press around Metro Detroit: September 1st, 2009

The most visible and exciting progress is the RiverWalk extension through Tri-Centennial State Park:

…construction of the first phase of expansion known as the Lowlands Unit will be complete in mid-June, according to Ken Davis, an engineer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The trenches that will comprise the wetlands area have been dug, the pump station to control water flow has been installed and construction on sidewalks and walkways has begun.

The Dequindre Trail, which will connect the State Park and RiverWalk to the Dequindre Cut is expected to be completed by the end of summer.

Construction of the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority terminal building next to the Renaissance Center is progressing too. Construction should be complete in early 2010. There are conceptual plans for water taxi service between the Detroit and Windsor, which may prove to be the most convenient way for cyclists to cross between both countries.

And, the short section of RiverWalk which was closed during the terminal’s construction is now opened. However, be forewarned that this section currently includes a stretch of loose gravel.

Also, Diamond Jack’s is moving their Hart Plaza dock to Rivard Plaza. This is great news as the current location and loading facilities create a major bottleneck for RiverWalk users.

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Crain’s Detroit has posted a list of the MDOT projects on their economic stimulus list. As we reported earlier, designing and re-constructing the entire I-275 Bike Path is on their list.

Also on their list is for Michigan Avenue: Milling and resurfacing from Livernois to Rosa Parks; $10 million. Will this project include bike lanes like those planned for Corktown, just to the east? We’ll find out.

DNR Project List

Given the large backlog in DNR capital repairs and improvements, it’s not surprising to see their list is quite long. Trail-related highlights include:

• Statewide: 600 miles rail-trail surface improvements
• Proud Lake: Floating boardwalk and bridge connection for equestrian trails and the canoe launch to the Powers Unit
• Sterling State Park: Surface improvements to connect internal trail system to City of Monroe’s trail system at Elm Street
• Lakelands Trail: Nine miles of asphalt paving/aggregate equestrian trail project, and two staging areas in Pinckney Township;?6 mile asphalt paving/aggregate equestrian trail project, trail head parking in Putnam Township
• Tri-Centennial State Park: Phase III, development of the mulit-use trail corridor. (This is would extend the Riverwalk through the park and provide connection to the Dequindre Cut.)

Clinton River Trail/MTGA

Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance submitted many trail projects including two for the Clinton River Trail:

• Construct a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Telegraph Rd. to mitigate high-traffic crossing on rail-trail
• Construct a bike/pedestrian safety island on Orchard Lake Rd. and make trail alignment perpendicular to road to provide continuity and a safe crossing between West Bloomfield Trail and Clinton River trail

New Center Council

There are a slew of interesting projects requested for Detroit’s New Center, including the New Center Bike Lane Greenway Connector Project (along Second and Third Avenues, connecting New Center to Wayne State) and a skate/BMX park.

Other Stimulus Project Requests

There are far more requests than just MDOT’s.

In fact the state just created a special website that discusses this stimulus funding, now called Michigan’s Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

This new web site does have a list of all the requests they’ve received. Yes, there are over 17,000 requests.

That includes 167 projects from Detroit. All of Detroit’s construction-ready greenways are listed, including Conner Creek, Corktown/Mexicantown, Midtown Loop (and Canfield Connector), Southwest Detroit, and Dequindre Cut.

The entire Detroit Non-Motorized Transportation Plan implementation is on the list, which includes striping 400 miles of bike lanes. And similarly, bike lanes along Detroit’s east end of Jefferson are also listed.

A project to rebuild the City Airport hangers along Conner/Outer Drive is on the list. This is also required to make room for the Conner Creek Greenway.

Focus:HOPE has project requests, one of which calls for adding bike lanes to Oakman Boulevard in Highland Park.

The Hamtramck Trail is also on the list for Hamtramck.

Clearly not all these projects can be funded. Michigan is asking municipalities to prioritize their requests. While indications are some of these bike projects will receive funding, nothing yet is set in stone.

What other trail-related projects of interest in the list for Metro Detroit?

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From the DNR:

The Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division cordially invites you to participate in a Public Workshop on Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

We Need Your Help Planning the Recreation Design and Programming for Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor.

Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor, located on the Detroit River between Rivard and St. Aubin Streets, is a work in progress. We need your help to complete this park’s recreation plan! Please join the community for a two hour workshop to help decide the future recreation development of Michigan’s only urban state park. Come to share your ideas for this state park.

Where?

Christ Church of Detroit, Ledyard Hall
960 E. Jefferson (Use the Woodbridge St. entrance)
Detroit, MI 48207

When?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 (Alternate date in case of severe weather is January 21). Choose the time option that works best for you!

• Option 1: 3– 5 p.m.
• Option 2: 7– 9 p.m.

Please R.S.V.P. by January 6, 2009, either by email at SenkoL1@michigan.gov, or phone at 517-373-9900. Seating is limited, so be sure to R.S.V.P. and reserve your opportunity to participate!

Group organizations/clubs are requested to limit their member participation to two (2) representatives, to allow as many organizations and individuals to participate as possible. If you cannot attend, you can still share your comments by sending them to: DNR-Tri-Centennial@michigan.gov.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Related Posts

• Goodbye Tri-Centennial. Hello Milliken State Park.
• Biking and Trails in the Media
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According to the DNR, this construction is very dependent on the weather, but they are hoping to get many of the key elements completed before winter really hits.

You can see in some of the photos where sand is being placed along the bottom of the wetland area.  This will be the base for the clay liner, which should hopefully be installed soon.  A layer of top soil will be placed on top of the clay liner, preferably before winter really sets in.

The state park construction is expected to be completed by Fall 2009.

Although they’re not required at Tri-Centennial, keep in mind that buying motor vehicle passes does support our state parks — and they make great gifts.

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Note that the trail has more hard surfaces compared with the nearby Dequindre Cut and state park.  This was done since this segment is expected to have more pedestrian traffic.  That is, of course, after the surrounding East Riverfront residential units are developed and occupied.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Related Posts

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