Lake Antoine playground recommended for state grant/Crystal Falls Trail Endorsed
(IRON MOUNTAIN, MI.)–A $30,000 state grant for new playground equipment at Lake Antoine Park has been recommended by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund board. The board last week recommended $40.3 million in grants for outdoor recreation development and land acquisition projects. The board’s list will go to the state Legislature for review as part of the appropriations process. Upon approval, the Legislature will forward a bill to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature. The proposed $47,100 Lake Antoine project includes a playground area measuring 85 by 35 feet. The local match for the $30,000 DNR grant is $17,100, which would include $5,100 in in-kind labor from the county and Lake Antoine Partners. The county has committed $10,000 in cash and the Lake Antoine group would provide up to $2,000. Also recommended is a $300,000 grant for a Crystal Falls Township Heritage Trail extension. This grant would fund nearly two miles of new non-motorized trail to extend the existing Heritage Trail, from its current end point west of the Crystal Falls city limits to the township’s Donahue Park and the Fortune Lakes Chain. Bewabic State Park is located on Fortune Lake. The trail construction includes 9,100 feet of paved trail and 1,100 feet of board walk. Heritage Trail is part of the Iron Belle Trail bicycle route across the Upper Peninsula. The board considered a total of 166 applications seeking $76.1 million in funding. In a competitive process, all eligible applications were evaluated on scoring criteria developed by the board. Of the $21.3 million recommended to fund acquisition projects, $12.3 million would be awarded to local units of government, while the remaining $9 million would be awarded to the Department of Natural Resources. Of the $19 million recommended to fund development grants, $15.2 million would support 72 local government projects and $3.8 million would support 17 DNR projects. A restricted fund established in 1976 to support public acquisition of lands for conservation and outdoor recreation, as well as public outdoor recreation development projects, the Trust Fund is financed through interest earned on funds derived from the development of publicly owned minerals such as oil and natural gas. Over the past 40-plus years, the Trust Fund has granted more than $1 billion to state and local units of government to develop and improve public outdoor recreation opportunities in all 83 counties. The information was released by Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund Board.(Aaron Harper,WJNR,WOBE,WHTO)aaronharper22@gmail.com