Politics & Government
City Looks to Make Camp Dearborn Improvements
The proposed plan to add paths to increase foot and bike traffic into Camp Dearborn is discussed at a public meeting Tuesday.
A Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant the city of Dearborn plans to apply for in order to make improvements at Camp Dearborn was discussed Tuesday night at a public meeting.
It's a plan that would also require significant financial input from the city's residents. Therefore, the city hopes to educate residents about the plan and receive input on both the proposed improvements and the camp's functionality and future.
One of Dearborn’s most famous attractions, recreational park Camp Dearborn is actually located in the city of Milford.
Find out what's happening in Dearbornwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Though it's not geographically connected, the camp is owned by the city of Dearborn. It offers a wide range of services for outdoor activity, including a swimming beach, acres of shaded picnic sites, fishing, paddleboat rentals and golf. It's one of Dearborn residents' greatest recreational resources.
The meeting to discuss proposed improvements to the camp took place in the boardroom of the .
Find out what's happening in Dearbornwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to Greg Orner, Dearborn Recreation Department director, the plan centers on efforts to make Camp Dearborn more accessible to bicyclists and foot traffic while lessening vehicle traffic into and out of the camp. In the proposed plan, a longer bike trail would be added to give bicyclists easier access to the camp and they would not be charged to enter.
The grant would partially fund the installation of a multi-use path that would connect the Milford Trail on General Motors Road to Camp Dearborn. The path would include a canoe and kayak launch as well as a shore fishing platform on the Huron River.
Orner told attendees that the city would be presenting a conceptual plan for the camp by April 1–the grant's application deadline.
"We want to de-emphasize the amount of vehicles coming into the camp to make more room for bikes and cause less traffic," explained Eric Peterson, Recreation Department deputy director.
The public was given a chart showing the summary of revenue and expenses from years 2006 until 2010. The chart illustrated why investing in the camp is a worthwhile cause.
The amount of expenses is approximately $381,000 and the community of Dearborn will need to raise approximately $114,500, which is 30 percent of the whole project's projected costs. The rest of the money will need to come from the NDNR funds, which will amount to roughly $267,000.
