A paved trail will soon connect Matthaei Botanical Gardens to the Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail system and beyond. Karen Sikkenga, Associate Director of Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum, tells the story of how the trail moved from dream to reality.
At
last, it’s really happening, that gorgeous hiking-biking trail paralleling
Dixboro Road and providing a safe and beautiful non-motorized connection
between Matthaei Botanical Gardens and the UM campus, downtown Ypsilanti,
Gallup Park and - almost - the Arb!
I
confess, there have been many moments over the past four years when I doubted
we’d pull it off, even though the project is a top priority for us and for
Washtenaw County, enjoying widespread support from organizations and
individuals throughout the area. Here’s
the story of how the trail went from an idea to a reality, thanks to the
collaboration, dedication and support of many key individuals and
organizations.
 |
| A draft of a sign that will appear on the trail. The map shows the trail route between Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Parker Mill County Park at Dixboro and Geddes roads. When complete later this year, the trail will connect Matthaei with the Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail system. |
Then,
in the summer of 2013, Dixboro Road closed for resurfacing. I started detouring
down Radrick Golf Course’s long, pastoral driveway, tiptoeing my bike across
the fairway to Matthaei Botanical Garden’s two-track and hoping no one on our
staff or theirs would catch the Associate Director with a bicycle at the
eleventh hole. It was a long sight safer – and more beautiful – than harrowing,
shoulderless Dixboro Road.
And
I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could turn this route into an official
bike path?
I
had just wrapped up another project and was looking for something to sink my
teeth into, something that would add value to our organization and help us
accomplish our strategic planning goals. I approached our director, Bob Grese,
to ask for his thoughts on whether the Dixboro Trail would be a good use of my
time. Bob threw his support behind the idea.
The
idea wasn’t new. Dixboro Road between Geddes and Plymouth, once a sleepy rural
area, has gotten progressively busier over the past two or three decades. More
businesses and housing developments have been built here, and more people are
using our stretch of road to flow from north to south. An old road with no
shoulders and long stretches with no Road Commission right-of-way, Dixboro Road
has a pressing need for a sidewalk – one of society’s oldest and most basic
forms of public infrastructure – but no place to put it. A project of this
nature is very complex, requiring collaboration from the community, neighboring
organizations and all levels of government. In this case, the University of
Michigan is more than just a neighboring organization: UM owns much of the less
developed land along Dixboro Road, making UM a key stakeholder. Bob shared with
me that a Dixboro Road trail project had been fully funded and designed prior
to 2005, but did not move forward because the necessary parties could not come
to agreement on the details. He warned that it would be a long and complex
journey, one that might never arrive at its destination. But if I wanted to
try, he would support me.
I
had recently begun meeting with my fellow University land managers to increase
our collaboration and effectiveness. The Adventure Leadership Program (then
known as the Challenge Program), Radrick Golf Course and Matthaei Botanical
Gardens all occupy land originally donated by Frederick Matthaei Senior to the
University of Michigan, beginning to the north of the botanical gardens
entrance all the way to Geddes Road. If the three of us agreed that a
hiking-biking trail was a good thing, then land acquisition for most of the
trail length would not be an issue; the University would be the only land owner.
For Matthaei-Nichols, non-motorized and public transportation options had
already been identified in our strategic plan as a top priority for bringing
more students, faculty and community members to our facility. Adventure
Leadership (John Swerdlow) and Radrick Golf Course (Paul Scott) had not specifically
identified transportation as a top priority, but the two managers felt that
with their emphasis on sports and wellness, student and community engagement, a
trail would be an appropriate use of their properties. As long as I did the
work, they were willing – even eager – to allow the land under their management
to be used for this purpose, if we could get permission from above.
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| Author Karen Sikkenga stands to one side of what will be the trail. When this picture was taken in late March, the construction company had already driven heavy machinery over the path route to remove woody plants. |
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| In late March 2017 work had begun on the path, as evidenced by the ruts made by heavy machinery on this section. Hard to believe this will be a real, paved path in a few months! |
The
next step was to engage higher-level leadership at the University, starting
with the Campus Planner, Sue Gott. Sue arranged a plenary meeting of University
stakeholders from Athletics (Golf Course manager), Student Life (Adventure
Leadership), Department of Public Safety and Security, Government Relations,
the Office of General Counsel, Provost’s Office, Architecture and Engineering,
Parking and Transportation, Real Estate and more. The group considered all the possible
ramifications of a hiking-biking trail - a trail that would be used not just by
the University community but by the broader community as well. Who would
maintain it? Who would patrol it? Who would respond if trail users needed help?
What would be the impact on parking? What if a future competing purpose for the
land arises? Would the trail make it easier for trespassers to get into
delicate environmental research areas? Despite the risks, the stakeholders
agreed that the benefits were clear and the risks manageable. I had the
go-ahead to begin looking for funding.
Then
came the first big hurdle. Virtually all the funding sources for this
significant public infrastructure project were available only to local
government entities, not to universities. I found three great possibilities for
Federal, state and local grants, but Matthaei-Nichols was unable to apply for
any of them. I needed a local government partner.
Enter
Mike Moran, the elected Supervisor of Ann Arbor Township. Matthaei Botanical
Gardens is located within both Ann Arbor Township and Superior Township, but
the proposed trail route was contained entirely within Ann Arbor Township. I
cold-called Mike and explained my big idea over the phone – I’d do all the
work, and Ann Arbor Township would sign on the dotted line and hit the “submit”
button. I wonder now if he thought I was crazy. He didn’t say so at the time,
but he did tell me that the AAT Board of Trustees needed to approve all grant
applications, and that at least one member of the board lived in a condominium
adjacent to the trail route, and that she – like a lot of Laurel Gardens
neighbors - might or might not take kindly to the idea of bicyclists whizzing
past their previously bucolic back doors. My response? “Well, they should!”
He
put me in touch with his board member, allowing me to make my argument directly
to her. The argument? Undeveloped land is always waiting to be developed, right
up until the plan is made and implemented. A hiking-biking trail would create a
relatively benign plan and use, reducing the likelihood of a less desirable
development in the future. I guess my argument won the day, because the next
thing I knew, Jim Kosteva (the University’s Government Relations liaison), Sue
Gott and I were presenting the project proposal at an Ann Arbor Township public
meeting. The Board fully supported the project and continues to do so. We were
off and running.
That
was in October of 2013, and the grant source was the Washtenaw County
Recreation and Parks Department. I believe I told the Township board that I
hoped trail construction would begin in the spring of 2014.
Who
would have believed then that the project would take four years to bring to
fruition? Since 2013, we’ve had many hiccups. Sometimes, the barriers seemed
insurmountable. The project has evolved into a three-party endeavor with the
Washtenaw County Road Commission, Ann Arbor Township and the University of
Michigan as the parties, an arrangement that requires consistent communication
and deep collaboration. Budgets have gone up and down. University leadership
has changed. Gifts have fallen through. Deadlines have changed. But each time a
barrier seems insurmountable, one or more of a very large team of dedicated,
creative, generous and competent partners have found a way to jump the barrier
and move onto the next challenge.
I
hesitate to call out individual names because of the risk of leaving out one of
the many dedicated partners, but a core group of very dedicated partners
deserve special recognition for the success of the project. These are Mike
Moran of Ann Arbor Township, Matthaei-Nichols passionate development director
Gayle Steiner, Matt MacDonnell of the Washtenaw County Road Commission, Frances
Mueller of the University of Michigan’s Provost Office, and Bob Grese.
The
broader circle of supportive stakeholders includes our corporate neighbors
Toyota and NSF as well as almost 150 individual donors, including the Matthaei
sisters and Pam Braden in honor of Fred Matthaei Junior and Fred Matthaei III.
University administrators (especially from the Office of University Development
and A&E), County and Township employees and contractors, the Ann Arbor
Township board, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Department, advocates
from the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (especially WCC Trustee
Diana McKnight-Morton), and many, many more dedicated individuals have
contributed to the success of the project.
To
all of you, thank you.
