Nearly half a million dollars is headed Leelanau County’s way thanks to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) grant program, including money for a new multi-use trail along Cherry Bend Road and accessibility improvements at Veronica Valley Park. The funding was initially announced last fall, but was confirmed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office last week, in the wake of the state finalizing its 2026-27 fiscal year budget.

With the funding now assured, The Leelanau Ticker checks in with grant recipients for updates on project progress and anticipated timelines.

Cherry Bend Regional Trail Connector

The project: Part of a broader rebuild of Cherry Bend Road, this 10-foot-wide multi-use trail will sit on the south side of the road and will stretch from M-22 to Cherry Bend Community Park. Once finished, the trail will serve as an important connector between the newly-extended TART Trail and the Leelanau Trail.

The history: Last May, Elmwood Township hired engineering firm Wade Trim to design the trail, with the knowledge that a complete design would open the door for grant funding. Speaking to The Ticker at the time, Elmwood Township Supervisor Jeff Shaw touted the trail as a legacy project, noting: “This is going to be here 100 years after I’m gone, and it’s going to save people’s lives.”

The funding: While the Leelanau County Road Commission will be responsible for the road rebuild on Cherry Bend, the township will handle the expense of the trail, which Shaw says carries a $1.7 million price tag. This year’s MNRTF funding includes a $400,000 grant to Elmwood Township, to put toward that cost.

In addition, Shaw says Elmwood Township has secured nearly $850,000 from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a federal grant program administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation, as well as a $50,000 Assets for Thriving Communities grant from Rotary Charities.

“Elmwood Township has committed to around $300,000 for engineering and construction costs,” Shaw adds. “We are expecting another $100,000 to $150,000 in other grants. That puts us within about $75,000 of our trail cost of $1.7 million.”

For comparison’s sake, when the MNRTF grants were first announced in December, Shaw told The Ticker that Elmwood Township still had about $600,000 to raise for the trail.

The timeline: “The project will take place next year, at the same time the Leelanau County Road Commission rebuilds Cherry Bend Road,” Shaw says.

Veronica Valley accessibility improvements

The project: The site plan for Leelanau County’s revamp of Veronica Valley Park (pictured) calls for an eight-foot-wide universally accessible crushed stone pathway around the park’s lower fishing pond, as well as new interpretive signage and four paved, accessible spots in the main parking lot.

The history: According to Interim County Administrator Lauren Cypher, the county has been working on the Veronica Valley project “for about two years.” In the county’s capital improvement plan, the project is described as an opportunity to create “a stable, accessible surface that eliminates uneven terrain hazards around the ponds, improving safety for all users and preventing potential injuries.”

The funding: Leelanau County received a $50,000 reimbursement grant for the Veronica Valley project in this year’s MNRTF funding. Just this month, the county’s Board of Commissioners voted to enter into a project agreement with MNRTF committing to the terms of the grant, which requires the county to put up a matching $50,000 of its own funds. The county will pay for the project upfront and then be reimbursed by the MNRTF later.

“During interim administrator Richard Lewis’s tenure, he set aside the capital outlay [for this project],” Cypher told commissioners earlier this month. “So, those dollars have been sitting and we have 100 percent of the anticipated cost set aside and ready to go. Once we reach a certain threshold – I believe it’s in the 70 percent range [of the project being done] – then we can start applying for the reimbursements.”

The timeline: “The plan is to send this out for bid in the fall,” Cypher tells The Ticker. “We were hoping to begin construction this fall, but with the slow process of approvals, it is looking like it will be spring. We are really trying to have it completed by Kids Fishing Day 2027, which is the last Sunday in June, but that will all be dependent on weather.”