By Jeffrey Cunningham | jcunning@mlive.com
on April 10, 2017 at 11:00 AM, updated April 10, 2017 at 11:03 AM
Plainfield Township is getting a start on its campaign to add trails in the township by approving projects to build a couple of short connector trails.
The two projects will be financed through the township's new millage.
Last August voters in the township approved a 0.5-mill levy that is expected to generate $585,000 annually to be used to upgrade the township's public trails and public recreation spaces.
While the two projects are short connectors totaling less than 175 feet in length, they will allow for new paved connections to the White Pine Trail and, in one case, create a new, easily accessible trail head behind the Plainfield Township Hall.
"These are two 'quick hitters' that we can get done this summer that will connect neighborhoods to the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail," Bill Fischer, Plainfield Township community development director, said.
The two projects are currently being engineered but Fischer estimates the township will spend less than $150,000 on them.
The first of the two projects will connect the township hall's back parking lot to the trail, a distance of about 75 feet. In addition to the trail, a small picnic area will be installed with a covered picnic table.
The second project will connect the sidewalks along Rogue River Meadows Drive to the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail. Currently there is no connector and those wanting the reach the trail have to walk or ride in the Rogue River Road roadway.
The township hall connector will allow groups and others to use of the township's parking lot as a staging area and trail head for the trail.
While the Rouge River Park is just across the street from the township hall and has access to the trail, Township Manager Cameron VanWyngarden said the additional trail head behind the township hall will allow for small groups wishing to use the new connection as a staging area for their events to do so with out having to pay as they do when using the Rogue River county park.
Fischer said while the township will do the two small projects this year, they are already working with The Kent County Road Commission to design a non-motorized path along Jupiter Drive and across the Jupiter Drive Bridge over the Grand River.
"The path will eventually connect Plainfield Drive neighborhoods to the Wolverine Worldwide YMCA on Jupiter Drive," he said.
Fischer said he expects to have the plans and cost estimates for the Jupiter Drive trail project done later this year.
Fred Meijer White Pine Trail users often park their cars in the Plainfield Township parking lot and use this grass path to access the trail.The township will create a paved path from the parking lot to the trail later this summer.Jeffrey Cunningham|Mlive.com