Several newsletters back I exclaimed Wow and When? concerning the County Board of Commissioners decision to purchase land for The Macomb Orchard Trail. With the announcement that Congresswoman Candice Miller had included a $3.7 million dollar grant for the trail in the federal Transportation Appropriations bill, we have another huge Wow! That grant, other grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and the GreenWays Initiative of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and funds from the County treasury will pay for the purchase and the development of the portion of the trail from 29 Mile to Richmond.

To go from concept to completion in under six years, when other trail projects have taken 10 years just to complete the purchase is truly remarkable. It is entirely possible that the Macomb Orchard Trail development and surfacing will be completed before any of the Clinton River Trail or even the Polly Ann Trail in Oakland County, which was originally supposed to be developed over two years ago.

I am truly grateful for your support of the trail. The fact that the Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail is the largest group of its type in the state, and that you are active supporters has been instrumental in achieving rapid progress. Strong, community-based support has been a key factor in pushing this project to completion quickly.

With funding available and a master plan for the complete trail already done, a 2005 completion is now possible. For those of us who wondered if the northern sections would ever be completed, this is awesome.

Does that then mean that the Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail are no longer needed? Far from it. Actually, this opens up a myriad of possibilities for us to develop enhancements for the trail, including amenities, nature and historical programs, and maybe even a covered bridge. See Neil Kocsis’ article on this elsewhere in the newsletter.

The Macomb Orchard Trail Commission held a media event called "Plant the Seed" at the Glacier Club Golf Course on Monday October 6, to promote the trail. The Plant the Seed event was originally conceived to highlight progress to date in preparing the first section of the trail, from Dequindre to 29 Mile Road, for development. When word came from Washington of the $3.7-million dollar grant, the date and focus of the event were changed to allow Congresswoman Miller to attend and receive the accolades of trail supporters and the media for this wonderful grant. Congresswoman Miller was presented with a "Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail" sweatshirt in appreciation for her work in obtaining the grant.

Dave Diegel, County Finance Director and Treasurer of the Macomb Orchard Trail Commission, confirmed at the Plant the Seed event that all the money needed to finish the trail (and maybe a little more) has now been appropriated.

Peter Lund, Chairman of the Macomb Orchard Trail Commission and Vice-Chairman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, emceed the event. Reporters and camera staff from local and regional media were present to record the event. Representatives from all members of the trail commission; Anthony Casasanta, Macomb County Parks director; Nancy Krupiarz, director of the Michigan field office of Rails To Trails Conservancy; Tom Woiwode, Director of the GreenWays Initiative of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan; and numerous other local dignitaries were present.

An unprecedented second grant of $115,000 from the GreenWays initiative was mentioned as part of the funding for the trail.

Nancy Kruipiarz presented an award recognizing the Macomb Orchard Trail and the outstanding recreational project in a five-state area as announced during the Mid-American Trails and Greenways Regional Conference in September.

New Macomb Orchard Trail Commission brochures were distributed at the event. Pick up a copy at our next Friends meeting on October 28^th. A professionally prepared promotional video showing the benefits of the trail was premiered at the event also. We have obtained a copy of the video and will be showing it at the next meeting.

Because covered bridges are rare in this area and hearken back to an earlier time in America's history, encountering them is a special treat. The Covered Bridge Project proposes that we build a covered bridge on the Macomb Orchard Trail to act as a centerpiece for the trail and give it a unique signature. The site we're proposing is the railroad trestle on the trail midway between Campground and 28 Mile Road. This would make the bridge very visible to anyone driving on old Van Dyke. Since we're using an existing bridge and simply adding a cover to it, the job should be easily doable with volunteer labor and some donated lumber. Yes, there are regulations we must adhere to and we are already working closely with the Macomb Orchard Trail Commission on those issues.

The first phase of the trail from Dequindre to 29 Mile Road should be completed by early next summer. So as not to impact this phase, we will add the covered bridge after this phase is completed. And, since The Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail would be doing the project, including labor and materials, it should have minimal impact on the Trail Commissions manpower, budget or schedule.

The covered bridges on the Kal-Haven and Reed City Trails in Western Michigan are built on old railroad trestles, so there is a precedent we can follow.

Three board members will be elected in January to fill the expiring terms of John Tarantino, Dennis Tipsword and Lee Sorensen. All have served on the board since the organization was founded in 1999. Neither John nor Dennis has yet committed to continuing, but Lee Sorensen will definitely be leaving the board because he is moving out of state.

If you or someone you know wants to serve on the board of the Friends of the Macomb Orchard trail, now is the time to notify the board of this interest. While John and Dennis have done an excellent job and may wish to continue, it is appropriate to give others an opportunity to serve. Any active organization needs new people to keep the "fire" going. The board elects its own officers.

The Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail had successful clean up day on September 20 2003. Volunteers helped remove much debris and cut back small trees and brush from West Road to Campground Road in Washington Township in preparation for the Plant the Seed event. We again showed how volunteer labor can do much of the work on the trail and save a lot of money that would have been needed to clear that section if paid help had been needed.

Even though the trail is not officially open, people are out using it every day. This particular stretch of trail is a good place to find golf balls shot off one or more adjacent fairways of the Glacier Club golf course. One gentleman, apparently a regular visitor to the trail, had picked up dozens of balls, which he carried in a plastic bucket. Everyone who worked that day also found golf balls. Perhaps the Trail Commission should post Beware of Flying Golf Balls warning signs along that section. Walkers, runners and bicyclists also came by at various times. As with the previous cleanup day in June, we were watched over by two Michigan State Police bicycle patrol officers, just in case neighbors took exception to our working on the trail.

Many thanks to the dozens of volunteers who worked at these various events. Personal thanks would be in order but for the fact that we might leave somebody out.

At the Romeo Peach Festival, Richmond Good Old Days, and the Armada Applefest attendants continued to build community support for the trail among many people who still are unfamiliar with its development. Along the way we signed up several new members and even got some donations.

For the September work day, pizzas were donated, as for the other work days. The wood chipper, a pickup truck to tow it, and chain saws to chop up the branches and brush were also provided.

The meetings of the Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail are at 20505 29 Mile Road (East of Wolcott Rd.) at 7:00 PM. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Dates this quarter are: October 28^th and November 25^th, 2003. At the October meeting we will be showing the trail promotion video released to the public at the Plant the Seed event.

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