The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has set aside more than $567,000 for a trail system through Summit Township and the city of Jackson.
The DNR recommends the city receive $300,000 in grant funds, while Summit Township and Jackson County are slated to receive $94,000 and $173,500, respectively, if state legislators approve the DNR’s recommendation.
The funds are earmarked for a new trail along Horton Road in Summit Township that would connect to a new city trail along Fourth Street by the Ella Sharp Park and the Middle School at Parkside. The trail would then connect to Jackson’s Martin Luther King Equality Trail (formerly the inter-city trail) to the north.
“Summit Township is pleases to be included in the DNR recommended projects,” Summit Township Supervisor Jim Dunn said. “The recommended $94,000 will connect township residents to the city and county trail networks, and the trail will provide a safe alternative for bikers and joggers, among others.
“This would not have happened but for the collaboration with the city on connecting existing trails,” he continued. “The result will be a great asset for township and city residents alike.”
With the $173,500 earmarked for Jackson County, officials plan to connect the MLK Equality Trail with the Cascades Park trail loop through Sparks Park and along Kibby Road.
“For years the city worked to connect its trail systems in and around the city so we’re very excited that the DNR has come forward recently with a number of grants to help us do just that,” said Jackson Mayor Bill Jors.