Community: City of Traverse City
Population: Over 12,001
In Summer 2022, the City of Traverse City will celebrate with partners the completion of the Boardman Lake Loop Trail. Bicyclists, pedestrians, and users of all abilities will be able to circumnavigate the 5-mile loop through heavily wooded and urban areas around Boardman Lake, a 339 acre watershed that is part of the Boardman River. The completed Loop will connect the library, parks, neighborhoods, local businesses, and NMC’s University Center, in addition to businesses along the Cass and South Airport corridors.
A majority of the Loop is owned by the City, in partnership with Grand Traverse County and Garfield Township. TART Trails works in partnership to support the development and maintenance of the trail. The $8.9 million, multiple year planning initiative has been made possible through financial contributions from a number of organizations and individuals over decades that are passionate about mobility and the future sustainability of our region.
Replicability:
Developing trails is a focus within many communities. However, we like to think that the Boardman Lake Loop Trail is not your average trail! This transformational project provides a critical connection for non-motorized transportation and recreational users through the 5-mile loop.
The completion of the Loop, which is the culmination of a multi decade planning initiative, will impact non-motorized transportation networks throughout the City by providing direct access to educational institutions such as Northwestern Michigan College and the Traverse Area District Library, increasing biodiverse planting along the Boardman Lake watershed, providing cultural experiences through public art installations, and increasing recreational opportunities for pedestrians and bicyclists. Lastly, the final phase will offer increased opportunities for enjoyment of Boardman Lake with observation platforms, significant stretches of boardwalk across open water and fishing/wildlife watching piers. As this phase is built with accessibility top of mind, the entire trail is built to provide incredible experiences for all ages and abilities and includes separated wildlife viewing/observation stations as well as benches and resting platforms all along the way.
The Boardman Lake Loop Trail is the most recent, and most ambitious, component of Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails (TART) network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that formed in 1998 and currently consists of several multi-use trails in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties as well as a cross-town bike route.
The City continues to invest in mobility choice initiatives for a healthier and stronger community. Improving the network of mobility systems with the Boardman Lake Loop Trail has been made possible through public and private partnerships and support from area partners and stakeholders. After decades of planning, and an $8.9 million investment, the final phase of the Loop is a commendable example of intergovernmental and intercommunity collaboration between the City of Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Garfield Township and TART Trails. The community rallied behind this project’s completion with approximately $500,000 in individual donations. Furthermore, the final phases of the project came to fruition through multiple financing sources, including the following.
- (State) MDOT TAP Grant $836,143
- (State) MDNRTF Grant - TF17-0095 $300,000
- (State) MDNRTF Grant - TF17-0096 $300,000
- (State) L&WCF Grant $150,000
- (Private) TART Trails $474,550
- (Local) The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians 2% Allocation $15,000
- (Local) Brownfield Authority - County portion $77,050
- (State & Local) Brownfield Authority - City portion $683,300
- $3,000,000, 10-year bond by the City of Traverse City (Brownfield Reimbursement)
In addition to funding for the execution of the project, a long-term maintenance plan was a priority during the planning phase. The Charter Township of Garfield gifted $800,000 for a trail maintenance endowment to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation to ensure future sustainable funding along the Loop.
Creativity and Originality:
The Boardman Lake Loop Trail will play an important role in the environmental and social benefits provided to the Traverse City community. The location of the Loop, through the natural environment, but yet within an urban element, make the project unique. Intentional design for accessibility from an equitable perspective and universal accessibility with minimal obstacles, have been carefully planned throughout the project.
Completing the Loop showcases the region’s natural, cultural and recreational resources — highlighting our unique freshwater environment and featuring captivating public art installations. Vistas overlooking the water, that were never accessible before, can be taken in through an immersive experience along the Loop. Connecting with nature through passive and active recreation can improve mental and physical health and are the benefits from this well planned trail. Multiple outdoor recreational opportunities from running, walking, and biking, to fishing, and kayaking, are valued details in providing access on the trail and were not overlooked.
The Loop will have cultural identity through the Art on the TART program, and features multiple disciplines with the guiding principles: inclusivity, diversity, geography, aesthetic excellence, placemaking, innovation, feasibility, education, development, planning, and preservation. The art initiative includes but is not limited to four installations around the 5-mile loop. Community feedback was gathered in 2016 and 2017 on optimal locations for installations. A space for a rotating sculpture exhibit was installed in 2018. Currently on view is a series of sculptures by David Petrakovicz, and an installation at the 10th Street Trailhead at Oryana Community Co-op, Conservation Conversation by Sous la Ciel. Future planned projects include an installation at the 16th Street trailhead as well as a mural on the GT Profile building just north of NMC University Center.
Environmental preservation and biodiversity will be incorporated with new native plant gardens at three locations on the Boardman Lake Loop: the 16th Street Trailhead, NMC University Center, and Medalie Park. Intentional landscaping has already been installed at the 10th Street Trailhead at Oryana Community Co-op and a butterfly garden serving as a shoreline buffer in Hull Park. In addition, landscaping will be included in several nodes and overlooks. These gardens will tie in with existing native gardens around the Loop including the Woodmere branch of the Traverse Area District Library and Grand Traverse Area Children's Garden.
We know the habitats of our region matter for people (recreation, hunting, sheer enjoyment, etc.), wildlife (animals rely on having the right resources and relationships with other organisms to survive), and our economy (for tourism, forestry, fisheries, and agriculture). These gardens will help demonstrate our commitment to clean water and healthy wildlife while playing their part in a healthier Boardman Lake Watershed. The Loop will demonstrate our commitment to a physically and mentally healthy Traverse City Community.
Community Impact:
The Boardman Lake Loop Trail connects people. The City of Traverse City is committed to enhancing its mobility system, and works with other local agencies and non-profit organizations to increase pedestrian and non-motorized facilities. The City’s continued investment into people and places through this trail network positively impacts community development, economic development, and a healthy and active outdoor culture. Traverse City is a place that attracts talent and inspires a high quality of life. The Boardman Lake Loop Trail impacts Community Wealth through Public Health, Arts and Culture, Financial Security, and Sustainability.
Public Health: The Boardman Lake Loop Trail connects people with nature. A 5-mile loop just steps from the City’s center impacts public health by increasing physical activity and providing safer transportation routes for pedestrians and cyclists, and a reduction of the overall carbon footprint. Research shows that visitors and health care professionals stress that the trails help make the community healthier and reduce overall health care costs in the region. In fact, health professionals argue that improving access of the trails to more citizens would be an excellent preventative health care strategy for people struggling with obesity, heart disease, and other ailments attributed to living a solitary lifestyle. The Boardman Lake Loop Trail provides equitable opportunities for accessible methods, and contributes toward increased benefits related to health, safety, and the environment.
Arts and Culture: The Boardman Lake Loop Trail connects people to culture. The City of Traverse City has partnered with TART Trails to strategically place art installations around the Boardman Lake Loop. The Art on the TART initiative strives to enrich the trail user experience. The program features artworks in multiple disciplines, and includes year-round public art installations as well as temporary exhibitions and community art. Art on the TART collaborates with community partners to make art accessible to all and engage trail users in thoughtful aesthetic expression. A diversity of local commerce along the Loop highlights the Traverse City’s culinary talent, the craft beverage industry, and local growers. Arts & Culture is woven through the fabric of the Boardman Lake Loop Trail.
Financial Security: The Boardman Lake Loop Trail connects people with their community. Trails economically benefit communities and make them a more attractive place to live, locate a business, and visit. An MDOT study identified how bicycling contributes to Michigan’s economy found that bicycling contributes $668 million per year to the statewide economy. Traverse City was chosen as a case study and at the time, the total economic impact was $5.5 million annually.
A study conducted on trails in northern Michigan by the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation identified and measured how key stakeholders believe non-motorized trails in the region benefit and impact local residents, tourists, and area businesses and that they provide far more than frivolous recreational activity. Health care professionals, business leaders, and the users themselves believe these trails help define the area and give the Traverse region a sense of being an active community. The Boardman Lake Loop Trail will contribute to economic prosperity in the Traverse City community.
Sustainability: The Boardman Lake Loop Trail connects people with their natural environment and reduces the carbon footprint due to its convenient proximity to the city center. Embracing the flora and fauna along the trail and developing a plan for biodiversity that is highlighted with signage throughout the Loop provides an educational experience. Shoreline buffer gardens to preserve and protect the watershed are planted with native pollinators in Hull Park on the northeastern edge of the Loop. Nutrients and pollutants will be filtered by soils and roots so they do not reach Boardman Lake or groundwater. The Boardman Lake Loop Trail is a sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation network in the Traverse City region.
