MDNR tours Ironwood's planned recreation opportunities

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

lholcombe@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials were in Ironwood Thursday and toured several of the city’s parks and other recreation opportunities, according to the city’s community development director, Tom Bergman.

Bergman told the Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee Thursday evening that the DNR folks were officially here to survey the city’s lighted cross country ski trail project within the Miners Memorial Heritage Park. City officials plan to light the one-mile Aurora Loop for night skiing.

Bergman said the DNR officials ended up touring of many of the other sites and projects the city hopes the DNR will help fund.

He said they visited Curry Park, Norrie Park and a proposed water trail on the Montreal River, Bonnie Street and Hemlock Street locations, and land around the proposed Southern Beltline Trail which would connect the MMHP to Norrie Park and then back north ending with access to the Iron Belle Trail just east of the Montreal River.

Bergman said funding for some of the projects is unsure, but a supplemental spending bill from Lansing may be fruitful.

He also said the visiting DNR officials were pleased with what they saw. “They liked what we’re building. They liked the connectivity,” he said.

Bergman also told the committee that work on building a mountain bike trail system in the MMHP continues, adding the construction crew is mostly done with the inner core of the system, and will soon start working out in various directions. He said they are constructing a mountain bike optimized trail, designed for mountain bikes but also open to hikers.

The committee spent some time talking about rights of way between users — on foot, on wheels, going up hill, going down hill. Bergman said they plan to have rules posted at all three main trailheads.

Committee member Jerry Nezworski reported about the motorized trail through Ironwood. He said they put gravel down on much of the trail from the Depot Park east to near the industrial park, and that it has helped keep the dust down.

The group discussed various places pickleball courts could be constructed in the city, as enthusiasts have asked for at least three courts, said Bergman. Committee member Tom Kangas said maybe the school could get involved with some of its property and need for enough courts for its tennis team.

Bergman said a plan to build a third court at the Patterson tennis courts on Hemlock Street fell through due to a lack of funding.

At the beginning of the meeting, Sam Davey was elected chairman of the committee. Kangas was elected vice chairman.

Bergman said with Festival Ironwood and the Emberlight Festival in full swing there are a lot of people in town and using the parks and trails. He said Emberlight’s Art in the Park installation at the MMHP was “packed” and Depot Park will be bustling with Festival Ironwood activities through the weekend.