Parks and rec committee mulls Miners Park projects

By ZACHARY MARANO

zmarano@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — The Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee discussed upcoming projects for Miners Memorial Heritage Park at their regular meeting on Monday.

On March 28, the Ironwood City Commission approved the parks and recreation committee’s recommendation to submit a trust fund grant application to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the development of a one-mile lighted ski trail.

The lighted ski trail would be located on a one-mile loop of Miners Memorial Heritage Park. Director of Community Development Tom Bergman said that approximately 25 lights would be installed on this trail. He also said there will be enhancements to the Red Devil trailhead, the concrete patio with picnic area, new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking and access to the Iron Belle Trail.

Bergman submitted the trust fund grant application on the Wednesday before the due date on April 1. He told the Parks and Recreation Committee that the application turned out well and he thinks chances are good that the project will be funded, if the Michigan DNR funds as many projects this year as they did in 2021.

Bergman said they often receive their initial score on the application in August and they are given another month to provide supplemental information to try to increase that score. He said they will find out if they were recommended for funding in September and if they were approved in June 2023.

Since the trust fund grant approvals will come in the middle of 2023, Bergman said they will probably not have enough time to find a contractor. He said that if they receive the funding, the lighted ski trail project would start in 2024.

Bergman said that Marquette-based firm Flowtrack Mountain Bike Trails LLC is mobilizing equipment to start working on a new mountain bike trail in Miners Memorial Heritage Park. He said that once the snow melts, the firm will start by completing the flagging of the trail. Bergman said they have seven miles of the trail flagged as of Monday and are planning on a 10-mile mountain bike trail.

In November, Bergman met with the Gogebic Range Trail Authority and visited road crossings on the Iron Belle Trail to see where stop signs should be installed and where there needs to be clearings to improve visibility. Bergman shared a map of where the stop signs will be installed but said that the city commission and the GRTA are seeking input from the parks and recreation committee.

Parks and Recreation Chair Sam Davey said that he was concerned about a section of the Iron Belle Trail near Red’s Auto Inc. where motorists and non-motorists need to share the road, a topic discussed at a recent work session of the city commission. He said they are planning to paint a line down the center of the road and have one side for motorists and another side for non-motorists.

Davey also said that a section of the Iron Belle Trail was marked as a safe route to the Ironwood Area Schools, but safe routes to schools should be closed to motorists and motorists cross the trail at one point and use it in another. He suggested that they reroute to the school through Frederick Street but said that he plans to discuss this with the K-12 principal first.