A 48-mile, year-round multi-use trail that connects Chocolay Township with the town of Republic in Marquette County was given new life when voters passed a request for 0.2 bump in millage rates in seven municipalities last week.
The
Iron Ore Heritage Trail millage request was voted down during the 2008 election, but some municipalities have raised their own funds and have been assembling the trail in select areas throughout the county. After seeing what a great addition to the communities the trail has been, voters approved a millage increase to expand the trail.
"We've been doing this piecemeal, two miles at a time," says Carol Fulsher, the Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority administrator. "With the good graces of the voters, now we can bite off a bigger chunk at a time and get our communities connected."
The millage will provide local funding matches for grants to continue the construction of the trail and its maintenance.
The first section of the trail opened in 2008 between Negaunee and Ishpeming and has been popular. The authority hopes by next summer to have the trail connecting Negaunee to Marquette before adding to it in following years.
The municipalities that passed the increase, and the expected millage generation for each during the first year, are the townships of Chocolay, $34,000; Marquette, $39,500; Negaunee, $22,600; and Tilden, $4,500; and the cities of Marquette, $118,600; Negaunee, $16,000; and Ishpeming, $19,700; for a total of $254,900.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Carol Fulsher, Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority
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