Back to drawing board

By P.J. GLISSON

news@yourdailyglobe.com

Wakefield - The status of the connecting link between Ramsay and Wakefield is again in question for Trail 2.

The trail, which is managed in part by the Gogebic Range Trail Authority, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, is used by snowmobilers in the winter and by ORV riders in other seasons.

Last fall, the Wakefield City Council granted permission for the trail to be rerouted along land that includes city property running along Old U.S. 2. That move was made when an easement was pulled for the former trail which ran north of U.S. 2.

Now, City Manager Robert Brown, Jr. announced at a Monday council meeting that council members had "no interest" in renewing the agreement that was honored this past winter.

He cited too many complaints from owners of homes and businesses along the rerouted trail.

Hence, he added of GRTA, "They are considering new routes," which he noted include patches of city, state and private land, as well as property owned by Xcel Energy.

Another possibility, he said, is in adjusting the Old U.S. 2 route so that Trail 2 can continue to run there in a location further from the road. He added that removing brush would be required to facilitate that.

This past winter, an extended stretch of the trail ran right next to the road.

After the meeting, Brown told The Globe that the city received complaints about snowmobilers not obeying traffic signs and not staying on the designated route. Previous complaints also included annoyance with noise.

In relation to moving the trail further from the road, Brown said, "We're trying to verify our easements on Old U.S. 2."

But he added that another issue exists in relation to a concern noted by Councilman Calvin Shirkey regarding guard railing that borders Old U.S. 2 and that may hinder moving the trail further from the road.

Brown said that a guard rail covers most of the distance of Wico Hill. "That seems to be a choke point," he said.

Jerry Nezworski, president and trail manager for GRTA, said by phone on Tuesday that guard rails are, indeed, an issue.

But he emphasized of the trail route, "That's in negotiations yet."

Nezworski said representatives of MDNR, the city of Wakefield and GRTA are working together toward a resolution, adding there also are a couple of other possibilities for rerouting that he was not yet ready to discuss.

In explaining the possibilities, Brown had noted during the meeting that "nothing to the north" is available. He also mentioned that one rerouting under consideration actually bypasses Wakefield.

Nezworski aimed for optimism, calling the ongoing wrangling "a work in progress."