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Pentwater-Hart Trail hosts public info session Sept. 19.
HART — All interested residents are invited to attend a public meeting regarding the proposed Pentwater-Hart Trail Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m. in the Hart City Hall Community Room, located at 407 State St., next to the Hart Area Public Library.
“We want all interested residents to be given a format to be heard. We hope, as many county residents as possible attend and voice their support for the trail and ask the Oceana Road Commission to approve the use of the right-of-way for its construction,” said Claudia Ressel-Hodan, committee chairperson.
Ressel-Hodan noted that letters of support could also be sent to William Myers, Chairman, Oceana Road Commission, 3501 W. Polk Rd., PO Box 112, Hart, MI 49420.
The effort to create the trail recently received a significant economic boost when Senator Goeff Hansen obtained $1.4 million in state funds for the trail. When the funding was announced, Hansen said, “This will be a great recreational asset for year-round residents as well as the thousands of visitors to our area who also support the local economy.”
Those funds are the first public funds committed to the creation of a trail that has been in the planning stages for roughly three years. While alternate routes have been considered, the trail would be constructed along Wayne Road to Harrison Road, south along 72nd Avenue where it would connect to the trailhead of the William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail in Hart. The trail would be a paved trail, separated from the road by a safety buffer.
The goal of the Pentwater-Hart Bicycle Trail Committee, founded in the fall of 2015, is to raise $5 million to connect with the northern end of the Hart-Montague bicycle trail to enable residents and visitors safe access to that trail and the network of trails connected to it.
To preserve and maintain the Pentwater-Hart Bicycle Trail, the committee created a “Friends” group for volunteer members to work on creating the trail and maintain the trail’s safety standards. Fiduciary responsibility resides with the Village of Pentwater, and funds are held by the Oceana Community Foundation. Funds raised in excess of the goal will be placed in a reserve fund within the foundation to be used solely for trail maintenance.
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