Groundbreaking Ceremony Celebrating Final Piece of Greenway Set for May 6

FLAT ROCK, Mich. - April 23, 2013 - PRLog -- The Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative (DLGI) will host a groundbreaking ceremony for its Flat Rock-Oakwood Connector Trail Monday, May 6 at 4 p.m. at Huroc Park, located at Arsenal Road and West Huron River Drive in Flat Rock.  This one-mile trail is the final piece of a 30-mile east-west greenway connecting Oakwoods Metropark to Lake Erie Metropark.

The creation of the trail has been more than 10 years in the making, starting in 1999 with the plan development of the East-West Connector that went from Huroc Park in Flat Rock to the City of Rockwood to Gibraltar.  This project represented five funding sources, three communities and Wayne County.  

Construction began in 2001 with help from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan GreenWays Initiative and others.  In the years since, approximately 29 miles of trail segments have been completed.

The project, slated to start Wednesday, May 1, was created in partnership with The City of Flat Rock and the Huron-Clinton Metroparks and others.  Upcoming work will include construction of the path, which will go from Huroc Park in Flat Rock to Oakwoods Metropark, work at a railroad crossing and route signage.  Funding for the approximately $684,300 trail is being provided through federal funds and a local match from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

“The people in Downriver enjoy a fantastic quality of life, including outdoor recreation,” said Anita Twardesky, co-chair of the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative, which is co-chaired through a public-private partnership between the Riverside Kayak Connection, LLC and the Michigan State University Extension.  “The completion of this trail after more than a decade of hard work will now represent the largest greenways link of two Metroparks in the region.”

The ceremony will feature remarks from Rodney Stokes, Special Advisor for City Placemaking to Governor Rick Snyder; Vince Ranger, Grant Coordinator, Michigan Department of Transportation; City of Flat Rock Mayor Jonathon Dropiewski; Tom Woiwode, Director, Community Foundation Southeast Michigan’s GreenWays Initiative; John McCulloch, Director, Huron Clinton Metroparks; Elizabeth Riggs, Deputy Director, Huron River Watershed Council; and Twardesky.  Congressman Dingell is invited to attend.

In addition to speeches, attendees will learn of additional accomplishments taking place Downriver including the Huron River Watershed Council Paddler Companion Kickoff and the City of Flat Rock’s Main Street participation.

A ribbon cutting is slated for late September.

For more information, please contact Anita Twardesky at 734-626-5465 or anita@riversidekayak.com.

About the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative

The Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative is a regional non-motorized pathway vision for the Downriver region of Southeast Michigan. It is envisioned that this regional pathway system will connect the 21 Downriver communities, Wayne and Monroe Counties through a network of trails and greenways, and will feed and link into a rapidly forming regional and statewide system of greenways. The effort to produce a coordinated, functioning, non-motorized system is an essential factor in the quality of life for the Downriver communities.  To find out more, visit downrivergreenways.org.