STATE APPROVES GRANT FOR PARK ADDITION - Posted 3-19-08

In December, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board approved a $60,000 grant for the purchase of a seven acre parcel of land that will connect General Squier Park and the Polly Ann Trail. The acquisition is expected to take place in late 2007 or early 2008. The park will serve as a trailhead for the Polly Ann Trail, as a pathway will be constructed from the park’s parking area through the new parcel to the trail.

The total cost of the acquisition is estimated at $100,000. The funds to complete the purchase will come from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund ($60,000), the Michigan DNR—Department of Forest, Minerals, and Fire Management ($20,000), the County of Lapeer ($10,000), and the Friends of the Polly Ann Trail ($10,000).

The Friends group is continuing its campaign to raise the $10,000 it has committed to this project. Tax deductible donations can be sent to: Friends of the Polly Ann Trail, P.O. Box 123, Dryden, MI 48428.

August 2007 Newsletter

A bright, sunny, and warm day greeted participants in the first annual Polly Ann Trail Walk on June 2, 2007. The walk, put on by the Friends of the Polly Ann Trail and Lapeer County Parks, was a celebration of National Trails Day and a celebration of our own Polly Ann Trail. The event was a fundraiser to raise money for the local match for a grant to purchase seven acres of land to connect General Squier Park and the Polly Ann Trail. As a result of the generous support of a number of local businesses and over 80 participants, the Friends raised over $1800.

Walkers gathered at General Squier Park and walked the Polly Ann Trail north to the Village of Dryden, accompanied by officers from the Lapeer County Sheriff's Mounted Division. At the village, they were greeted by Friends board members and supporters with cold water and directions to local businesses. Some walked just the two miles to the village and took a shuttle, provided by Lapeer County Parks, back to the park. Some walked back to the park (for a total of four miles), and there were those who walked further north on the trail for a total distance of up to eight miles.

On hand for the walk were Lapeer County Commissioner Linda Jarvis, Parks Director Ken Elwert, many board members of the Friends of the Polly Ann Trail, and numerous trail enthusiasts from the surrounding area. The Friends gained a number of new members as a result of the event.

This event would not have been possible without the help of many--Lapeer County Parks staff, Friends board members, and the many sponsors of the walk. Our Gold sponsor was Arthur J. Crawford, a Friends board member. Our Silver sponsors were the Dryden Downtown Development Authority, First Rate Plumbing, Inc., Novak Nurseries, and Total Runner. Bronze sponsors were The Chilly Cow and Mill Street Station. Our local business supporters included Almont Tri-County Bank, Country Smoke House, Curves of Almont, the Hen House, Metamora Foodland, Pleasant Soul Café, and Toth Properties.

We look forward to an even bigger and better event for the second annual Polly Ann Trail Walk on National Trails Day in 2008.

The Great Lakes Bioregional Land Conservancy was the recipient of a generous donation of ten acres of land adjacent to the Polly Ann Trail in Dryden Township. The property, donated by Carl and Beth Riseman in December of 2005, is a mixture of woods and wetlands, and is located on the east side of the trail between Dryden Road and Casey Road.

A committee consisting of three members of the Conservancy and three members of the Friends of the Polly Ann Trail has been established to consider how the property will be used. This partnership between the Conservancy and the Friends is supplemented by support and cooperation from Dryden Township and Lapeer County Parks.

Anyone who has not seen the Polly Ann Trail in Oakland County recently is in for a pleasant surprise. Since the fall of 2006, the trail has a new, crushed limestone surface from Bordman Road, through Leonard and Oxford, to Indianwood Road in Orion Township. In addition, the bridge over M-24 in Oxford is complete, so trail users do not have to deal with that busy highway. This twelve mile portion of the Polly Ann has a trailhead in Leonard, with parking and restrooms. For more information, go to www.pollyanntrailway.org.