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August 20, 2002Lake Cadillac trail link OK'd- Final section of round-the-lake trail scheduled to be paved by Sept. 30By TOM CARRRecord-Eagle staff writer CADILLAC - Walkers, bicyclists and in-line skaters will have a safer way to complete a trip around Lake Cadillac once work approved Monday to turn one mile of railroad bed into paved trail is completed. The city council Monday awarded a $79,000 bid to Rieth-Riley Construction of Traverse City and Manton to pave the section of former railroad between Sunnyside and Lake streets. Funding is coming from two state grants. The work will complete the designated trail that circles the lake. It will also connect the White Pine Trail, which runs from Grand Rapids to Cadillac, with the Keith McKellop Walkway in Lakefront Park on the east side of the lake. The McKellop walkway is part of the route around the lake and also ties into the Clam River Greenway, a trail that eventually will run from Lake Cadillac to the city limits at 13th Street and Plett Road, and to more trail systems northeast of town. The new section will allow trail users to avoid using the shoulder of a busy section of Granite Street between Sunnyside and the lake. Instead, they will have a 12-foot-wide, paved pathway between two berms that were built to separate rail traffic from nearby homes. Trains have not used the segment of rail for years. To make the right of way safer, the city has also changed the angle at which it meets Granite Street and eliminated a steep slope right where the trail meets the road. Plans are to have the trail completed by Sept. 30, because that's when one of the state grants that will help fund the construction will expire, according to Precia Emmons, director of the Downtown Development Authority. In other news, the council on Monday: - Awarded a $52,730 bid to Continental Leisure Sales Inc. of Holland to construct a gazebo/pavilion to be erected at the corner of Mitchell and Cass streets. The structure will be built off-site of powder-coated metal and then assembled on the site, Stalker said. The project, which was spearheaded by the DDA, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, Emmons said. The pavilion will also include three clocks and will be the "cornerstone of downtown," according to Mayor Ron Blanchard. "When people see this, I think they're going to be pleasantly surprised," he said. - Scheduled a public hearing for its Sept. 16 meeting on a request for a tax abatement by Fiamm Technologies on a nearly $1 million addition to its local factory. Fiamm, which makes air horns for cars, trucks and boats, has already gotten the addition approved by the city planning commission. The abatement would allow the company to pay half the usual rate of taxes on the new construction, equipment and furnishings for up to 12 years. Construction is expected to result in three new jobs at the factory. It currently employs 213 people. |
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