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December, 2019
Welcome to the Sunrise Coastal Trail Planning Project
The Sunrise Coastal Trail Planning Project created a plan for a non-motorized trail which will connect existing trail systems in Alpena to the bicycle route portion of the Iron Belle Trail in Oscoda (proposed to be located along the AuSable River).
Final Plan
We have completed the final stage of the Sunrise Coastal Trail Planning process. We are very appreciative of the time and effort that people put into providing feedback and ideas for this plan. This would not have been possible without your support. The final plan has been completed and we are pleased to share this with you. The process included public input to identify opportunities along the route that would attract people to the area. The public also helped identify challenges along the route. The plan presents via narrative and maps those various opportunities and challenges and provides a recommended route with cost estimates.
Project Goals
The project goal was to do the initial trail planning of approximately 45 miles of trail. Key tasks included organizing a steering committee and working with that committee to determine a preliminary route, trail uses, and destinations along the trail, identify land acquisition and permission needs, identify potential obstacles, provide a rough estimate of cost, describe funding opportunities, and compiling a final trail plan document. The goal of the trail is to link communities to each other, regional trail systems, and parks and forestlands and to link people to their community and their environment.
Who was involved?
Everyone was invited to attend. Additional invitations went to chambers of commerce, local governments, economic development organizations, trail organizations, and trail users. The communities in the general area of the potential trail are in the counties of Alpena, Alcona, and Iosco. The communities include Charter Township of Alpena, the townships of Ossineke, Sanborn, Alcona, Haynes, Harrisville, Greenbush, and Oscoda, as well as the city of Harrisville.
The project was facilitated by the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) with the planning and facilitation by Emily Meyerson, AICP.
Other links
Financial assistance for this project was provided, in part, by the Coastal Management Program, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, under the National Coastal Zone Management Program, through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
The statements, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations in this report are those of the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.