Greetings TARTans,

On Monday night, the Traverse City Commission voted to approve the bid for the next leg of the Boardman Lake Loop Trail connecting from NMC to the existing trail on the east side of Medalie Park. As Commissioners engaged in thoughtful discussion about the project and the decision they were being asked to make, I was grateful for the time and attention spent listening so intently to the community throughout the development of the trail plans. Over the past six years of planning and engineering, we worked hard to listen to and understand the community's values and ensure these values were articulated in the design of the trail. We heard clearly the importance of access to the water, use for all ages and abilities, respect for natural resources, engagement with community, awareness of culture, opportunities to commute, and the ability to stop and reflect. We understood people wanted a safe and comfortable place to enjoy time with friends, family, or alone. It was clear to me in Monday night's discussion that the community's passion and values were front and center as decisions were made. What we build today is meant to last long after our lifetimes and I'm grateful we have a team of partners and a passionate community who are determined to leave a meaningful and lasting legacy for generations to come. 

With gratitude,

Julie Clark, Executive Director

NEWS TO KNOW

It's Happening!
On Monday night the Traverse City Commission approved the bid to complete the Loop between NMC and the existing trail on the east side of Medalie Park - a vision 30 years in the making. This spring you'll see Elmer's finish trail work (with a mighty impressive retaining wall along the rail south of 16th St) and pave the connection between 14th St and NMC. It is anticipated that construction of the next leg, connecting to the east side, will begin this year with completion scheduled for June 2022.

New Digs at 10th St Trailhead
A simple access point becomes a community destination. The new 10th St Trailhead area will be safe, comfortable, and accessible through new landscaping, public art installation, and amenity enhancements. While under construction please use the detour in place. The trailhead should re-open by the end of the week. Many thanks to the following partners for their dedication to this placemaking project: Aspire North REALTORS, Buffalo Ridge Center: Home of Oryana West, Inhabitect, Oryana Community Co-op, and the Traverse City Arts Commission. This activity is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, administered by Northwest Michigan Arts and Culture Network.

Transforming Your Trail
On Monday Team Elmer's started trail reconstruction along the TART in Grand Traverse County between 3 Mile and Airport Access Roads. This phase officially kicks off the TART Transformation and will deliver a smoother ride and wider trail for all to enjoy. Additional improvements including landscaping and public art will follow later this spring and summer. Stay tuned for plans for a ribbon cutting celebration once the entire project is complete. Trail work will continue through Friday, April 23. During construction, trail users will be detoured to Indian Trail Blvd (detour info is available onsite and online).

Grooming Survey
With each passing day, winter feels more and more like a distant memory. Spring came quite early to the Traverse City area and that, combined with a roughly 50% annual snowfall, ended our winter trails season early this year. While the snow was here, we sure packed in a lot of memories and made the most of what mother nature gave us. We are now planning for how to continually improve our grooming program and ask for your help in doing so. Please take 5-8 minutes to fill out a survey on the season. We use this feedback to learn how we can get better at serving everyone who takes to the trails all winter long. Survey here. 

Meet Ellie
Please join us in a very warm welcome to Ellie Taylor, the newest member to the TART Trails team. She'll be supporting events and marketing efforts as our spring and summer intern. Born and raised in Traverse City, Ellie has found joy in outdoor recreation for as long as she can remember. She has a background in volunteer and event management and after living in Salt Lake City and Chicago, she's stoked to be back home and to bring her passion for community wellness to the TART Trails team.

New Threads
Check out our new high viz jersey! These sweet new threads are on sale now through April 20, with an estimated ship date of June 11. Your jersey investment is $85 and includes shipping. All orders and exchanges go directly through Primal Wear, who guarantees 100% satisfaction on all of their products. Each jersey purchase helps raise awareness for TART Trails and proceeds from the sale go directly back into growing and maintaining the trails you know and love! Shop your heart out here.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT


 

The Von Voigtlander Family Foundation is on a mission to make the world a better place and an area of focus is supporting community recreation areas such as biking and hiking trails. The Von Voigtlanders believe that access to the outdoors has a significant impact on the wellbeing of people, young and old, and that our shared outdoor spaces should be accessible for all to enjoy.

Kathleen Von Voigtlander recently shared, "Jeff and I enjoy supporting TART Trails for several reasons. Traverse City is a favorite vacation spot of ours, and we loved spending summertime there with our children, enjoying the lovely views and trails. We hope that by supporting the trails, other families can enjoy the fun times together, just as we did, and still do, together."

Thank you for supporting happy, active people making connections through a world-class trail network!

EVENTS

TART TRIVIA

It's no secret that the pandemic got people out of their homes, offices, and vehicles and into nature and onto the trails. But what exactly were folks doing outside, what motivated them to do it, and is this more than a one year affair? The Outdoor Industry Association commissioned a special report to learn more. The results provide some good data to chew over as we think about our own experiences and how we provide great places and experiences to make being outside and active a lifelong habit. 





Check out the full report here.

COVID RESOURCES
 

We hope you are staying active, healthy and safe. Stay connected online for updated information, a list of resources, and places to plug into.