Boardman Lake Trail loop approved

Apr. 14—TRAVERSE CITY — Construction for the last leg of the Boardman Lake Trail could wrap in June 2022, and using higher-quality materials means it'll cost more than nearly a half-million dollars over estimates.

City commissioners agreed Monday on a $4,401,315 contract with Elmers Crane and Dozer to build the path from Northwestern Michigan College's University Center to Medalie Park and link with the existing trail. That stretch along the southwest corner of the lake will include a boardwalk crossing a cove and two spans over the Boardman River.

The amount includes using ipe wood, a Brazilian hardwood, instead of yellow pine. Switching to pine for the boardwalk and bridges would've saved $294,178.84, but the wood requires treatment to reach the same lifespan as ipe wood typically reaches without treatment.

They also agreed to metal railings with metal posts, an extra $44,361.93, rather than using wood posts and fencing, documents show.

Overall, the bid left an engineering estimate of $3,958,287 well behind, with another firm, Anlaan Corporation from Grand Haven, quoting an even higher price.

Commissioners mostly agreed to go with ipe wood, despite concerns over the higher cost. All but Commissioner Brian McGillivary agreed it was worth the cost for a longer-lasting wood that doesn't need sealing and UV protection — City Manager Marty Colburn said that would cost about $6,000 every five years, to be covered by a maintenance agreement with the city and project partner Garfield Township.

McGillivary said he felt broadsided by the recommendation — meeting materials initially recommended going with the two cost-saving alternatives to slash $338,540.77 from the total contract cost. Plus, he had concerns about ipe wood, as even eco-friendly branded wood may have been timbered in an unsustainable way.

"Brownfield is capturing city tax money, it's capturing our city general fund tax money and it's capturing our pension fund money and ... there are other projects in the city that may be impacted by draining these funds for this," he said.

Commissioner Tim Werner agreed it's a valid concern, particularly considering Brazil's reputation for graft and corruption that throw even Forest Sustainability Certification brands into question. But there are still earnest efforts at selling sustainable natural resources there as well.

Using ipe wood on the boardwalk when the city uses other woods on its extensive river walk network struck Werner and Mayor Pro Tem Amy Shamroe as fine. Werner said its durability means fewer warped boards that pose a hazard to less mobile users, and Shamroe said using a better, more sustainable wood should be a goal for future projects.

Julie Clark, executive director of project partner Traverse Area Transportation and Recreation Trails, said she thought it a better fit as well. Pressure-treated pine can be slippery when wet compared to ipe wood, and pressure-treated lumber comes with its own environmental concerns.

Then there's the cost. Colburn said he's working with the Grand Traverse County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to amend the Lake Avenue brownfield plan, both administratively to reimburse even more for the added cost, and for the plan itself. City leaders agreed to approve the contract on the condition that the brownfield authority approve the needed changes.

There's another issue, one involving cash flow from the brownfield plan and the city repaying a municipal bond loan used to finance the project, Colburn said. By the time Elmers Crane and Dozer finishes in June 2022, the city will need to cover a loan payment of roughly $900,000.

It's money that will eventually come from the brownfield plan through tax increment finance capture, and Colburn said he's working with Grand Traverse County — another project partner — to figure out how to cover it in the short term.

Commissioner Roger Putman, TART Trails' former executive director, said he has seen how the trail's popularity has exploded in the past year. He agreed the price made him "nervous," but repeated something he said prior to the meeting — stopping now is not an option.

"With some reluctance of course with some of the things that have been brought up, I still support this particular measure," he said.

McGillivary agreed he supports the project being completed, adding his "no" vote would've been almost impossible to make if another commissioner would have cast one, too — that would've axed the contract, as it needed five "yes" votes to approve and Mayor Jim Carruthers was absent Monday.

The vote sets in motion the final process to loop a trail envisioned ever since the first leg was begun. Currently the path takes walkers, bikers and other nonmotorized traffic from Medalie Park north to Hull Park, then west and south until 16th Street.

Commissioners in May 2020 approved a $2,043,142 contract, also with Elmers Crane and Dozer, to build the 16th Street-to-NMC University Center first phase. Colburn previously said that construction should resume soon.

While the brownfield plan will reimburse some of the project cost, various grants from the state Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Transportation and hundreds of thousands raised by TART Trails covered the rest.

Garfield Township also put up more than $1 million, including $800,000 for a long-term maintenance plan — Colburn said the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation just agreed to hold that money in trust.