By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON — Trenton is now a designated Pure Michigan Trail Town by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in partnership with Pure Michigan.
Trenton joins seven other communities that have been awarded the designation.
The trail begins at Wayne County Elizabeth Park and ends at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge for a distance of up to 20 miles.
At the Oct. 4 City Council meeting, Councilwoman Wendy Pate said she was very excited to present the designation to the city. She was thanked by Mayor Steven Rzeppa and council members for her work on the initiative.
“We’re really excited about this,” Pate said. “We hope it brings more life to downtown Trenton as well as then the ripple effect. We’re really going to put Trenton on the map.”
The Trail Town Advisory Committee has been working to meet the requirements of the application since 2018. Benefits from receiving the designation include being incorporated into Pure Michigan maps and marketing materials, as well as the use of the branding.
According to a press release, the committee designed a Trail Town brochure, installed sponsored bike racks, painted sharrows — shared lane markings — to alert drivers of bicyclists on the road, installed fix-it stations donated by businesses, participated in the summer festival, worked with Wayne County Parks to provide maintenance of the trail, as well as continuing to find ways to provide wayfinding signage and gateway experiences.
Members of the committee established partnerships with schools and local businesses and organizations, including a contest for the initiative’s logo.
Pate said the logo was created by former Trenton High School student Charlotte Craft after a contest within the Trenton Public Schools district last year.
Her logo was selected from about 20 submissions, but the committee was unable to reveal her logo last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pate said the logo will be used on all communications for the trail town initiative.
A map of the trail includes three colors: red for the Downriver Linked Greenways, green for the Iron Belle Trail, and blue for the water trails. The public can visit city hall to view the map and scan a QR code to access links to places to visit and things to do set up by the committee.
The committee partnered with the Trenton Business Association in providing residents and teachers with city trail tours via the free app Actionbound, and was included in the banners downtown by the TBA.
Retired Trenton Parks and Recreation Director and retired Trenton Trail Town Committee Chairwoman Joann Gonyea said she is thrilled Trenton has been recognized as a Pure Michigan Trail Town.
“This is a very prestigious designation and validates the incredible work that has been done over the past several years by so many passionate community partners,” she said in the press release. “This designation will serve as a catalyst for community and economic prosperity by putting Trenton on the map. I’m excited for the community to roll out the red carpet and welcome trail users and visitors to our Trail Town.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 9 to celebrate the kickoff.
For more information on the Trail Town initiative go to trentonmi.org/843/Trail-Town.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)