WHEEEE! Ironwood opens new sledding hill in MMHP

By CHARITY SMITH

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Ironwood - There is a new sledding hill in Ironwood. Miners Park Sledding Hill, which opened Tuesday, is within the Miners Memorial Heritage Park and makes use of an abandoned road.

The road used to be known as Bonnie Road, before the road was moved.

"It's a fun, modest hill. Thrill seekers won't be as excited about it, but it's good fun," said Rick Semo, president of the Friends of the Miners Memorial Heritage Park.

Semo said the hill was the brainchild of Jim Decur, chairperson of the trails committee. According to Semo, Decur lives in the area and thought the old road would be a perfect sledding hill.

The hill runs from the top curve of Bonnie Street, along Old Bonnie Road and ends at the intersection of Bonnie and Ayer streets, facing Bonnie Street and across the street from the city's Dog Park.

Semo said he is unsure when the Bonnie road was moved, but he can confirm that Old Bonnie Road was still in use in 1954.

Semo said they were waiting to open the park for the city to confirm ownership of the land, before opening the hill. He said they confirmed that on Tuesday and approved its use as a sledding hill. Semo said it is now part of the MMHP, and will be groomed along with the ski and snowshoe trails.

"We've been vetting it in terms on how worthwhile it is and it seems like people are liking it," Semo said.

Semo said they will be marketing the hill as family- and kid-friendly. He said they had looked at a hill with a steeper incline, but it would not have been safe.

"We're testing the waters with this," Semo said. "It seems like people are going to like it so so we are going to move forward with it."