The implementation of Trenton’s Trail Town Master Plan is moving along. Starting with approval of Trail Town organization plan by City Council, the voluntary group has also submitted the application for Pure Michigan’s Trail Town status and asked for support from community groups to process the application.
The next undertaking will be a “complete streets” ordinance that will be presented to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments with a November target for approval.
The Trail Town group will then set a meeting with Traffic Safety, Planning Commission, DDA and Trenton Business Association to inform them of the committee’s efforts and also educate them on the “complete streets” ordinance with a January or February completion date.
The fourth priority involves getting the Trenton Public schools involved in the curriculum and education of students to all the trail offerings.
The group has several street design priorities including parking, engineering of the trails for most effective flows. Once approved, then we should start seeing changes to the crosswalks including mid-block pedestrian crossing and gateway landscapes improvements.
With those items in mind, the group will then work on the economic approach to this new city feature, including working with the DDA, TBA, Trenton’s Economic Development committee, the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber, Trenton Rotary Club and other interested groups to build opportunities around the trails as well as promotion of the Trails including outreach and a complete marketing plan for businesses and potential new business to the area.
The trails are regulated through the Michigan Comprehensive Trail Plan, established in 2010. Cities throughout the state are establishing designated safe, exercise-friendly courses, or trails, that promote communal exercise space that has been found to encourage moderately fit people to get up off their couches and walk, run, bicycle — or, in the case of Trenton, kayak. The Trenton project includes a water trail along the Detroit River.
Trenton’s trail, which runs along Jefferson Avenue through Elizabeth Park to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, includes a portion of the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail, offering a multi-modal exercise route.
The Trail Town advisory committee also met with 50 people in September at the newly renovated Tourist Lodge to showcase the city’s two assets: The Trail Town Designation and the Trenton Gardener’s (Cultural Center). This was in anticipation of the many more visitors expected to land in our area when our International Wildlife Refuge finally opens on West Jefferson Ave.
Article provided by the Healthy Trenton Coalition. Since late 2014, the City of Trenton, Trenton Public Schools and Beaumont Health have partnered together to promote healthy eating and active living for the City of Trenton through the Healthy Trenton Coalition.
The group’s mission is to promote community health and wellness and develop healthy lifestyles by connecting people, ideas and resources for Trenton residents and visitors to the community. In four years the group has established a website, developed many community exercise and walking initiatives, which included a passport to health, worked with businesses and the schools to discuss health programs for students and workers, including useful toolkit. Stay tuned for monthly updates on healthy projects around town and for more information and upcoming events, check the website: healthytrenton.org.