The joy of seeing our plans implemented

On Tuesday, SEMCOG – in partnership with the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, Oakland County Parks, the Huron River Watershed Council, Legacy Land Conservancy, and Six Rivers Land Conservancy – hosted the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board for a tour of proposed and completed Trust Fund projects.

We saw some great examples of important regional planning that has come to fruition in completed projects as well as some promising opportunities for further plan implementation. We toured a number of environmental assets in Oakland and Washtenaw Counties, the kinds of jewels that are scattered throughout Southeast Michigan that you might not ever know about unless you are a local.

In the City of Dexter, we saw a completed Trust Fund project that really stands out for a number of reasons.

Mill Creek Park, Dexter

What you don’t see in the picture above is that Mill Creek Park is actually located right in Downtown Dexter, and what you might not believe is how different this landscape looked before the Mill Creek dam was removed. Taking the dam out was just the beginning, however.

The Trust Fund, Washtenaw County, and others teamed up to invest more $1 million in developing beautiful Mill Creek Park. Adding benches, boat launches and fishing docks, expanding the trail network, and enhancing natural features of Mill Creek have enhanced quality of life in Dexter.

Dexter Mayor Shawn Keough discusses how much of an asset Mill Creek Park has been to his community

In addition to its benefits for the people of Dexter, this project can be seen as a robust intersection of regional planning goals:

• By combining natural beauty with easy access to downtown amenities such as an amphitheatre, library, and farmers’ market, this project has strengthened the quality of place in Dexter, a key component of SEMCOG’s Economic Development Strategy.
• By utilizing a trail between a city park and the Hudson Mills Metropark along Mill Creek to meet a recreational need, this project connects our regional network of green infrastructure on a riparian corridor, which is a key policy of our Green Infrastructure Vision for Southeast Michigan.
• By connecting trails, this project further develops the Border-to-Border Trail along Washtenaw County’s Huron River Greenway. Connectivity of the region’s nonmotorized system via trails that can be walked and biked is a major strategy of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for Southeast Michigan.

By developing regional solutions that go beyond the boundaries of individual governments, this project has exemplified what is possible when a key component of SEMCOG’s mission is applied. Stay tuned to see more of the benefits holistic planning and regional cooperation can yield.

Art and nature complement one another on this beautiful greenway.