By DEBRA HAIGHT
BUCHANAN – Efforts are moving forward to expand trail opportunities in Buchanan and the rest of Berrien County. Meanwhile, Ashley Regal has been hired to lead Buchanan chamber and city economic development activities.
The expansion of the McCoy’s Creek Trail is moving forward with continued donations from individuals, businesses and organizations. Current expansion plans call for the five-mile trail to be extended another half mile northward and across the St. Joseph River into Buchanan Township in 2023.
The latest donation comes from the American Electric Power Foundation and is for $50,000. In all, nearly $200,000 has been raised-nearly twice the original $106,000 goal-to go toward the expansion project. The rest of the funding is expected to come from a state grant.
The McCoy’s Creek Trail is one of several already established or ready to be expanded in the county. In the Buchanan area, McCoy’s Creek Trail organizers are already looking ahead to extend the trail even farther north to meet up with the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail when it goes north from Niles to Berrien Springs.
Trails were also the focus of another recently awarded grant. The Berrien Community Foundation has given $10,000 to the Friends of Berrien County Trails to assist the organization to developing a countywide trails and waterways master plan.
The Abonmarche engineering firm has been hired to do the study which will examine existing trails and sites for future trails. The Friends of Berrien County Trails has raised over $50,000 to create and develop the trails master plan.
“We need to have a vision of what a connected trail system could look like in our county and then begin to prioritize projects,” Friends of Berrien County Trails President Gary Wood said in a press release.
“We’re excited about the master plan process because it will bring the communities together to develop this countywide vision for hiking, biking and paddling,” he added. “Our goal is to build a world class trail system that will connect communities, increase safety and attract and retain residents.”
In other Buchanan area news, Regal has begun her duties as the new Buchanan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director/Michigan Main Street Manager. Chamber and city officials reached an agreement earlier this summer to fund the joint post to further economic development in Buchanan.
A press release from the city stated that Regal will also work in collaboration with agencies such as Michigan Economic Development Corporation to execute the goals and objectives of the City of Buchanan, Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce and City of Buchanan Main Street Program.
She will be responsible for creating and managing various community events, programs, and initiatives such as “Michigan Main Street.” City officials in recent months have talked about pursuing membership in the Michigan Main Street Program after an earlier attempt to do so several years ago never came to fruition.
Although a new face in Buchanan, Regal has lived and worked in various towns across Michiana. She and her husband returned to his home town when they purchased a home in Buchanan. Ashley has a background in Education and received her B.S. in Art Education from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI.
She went on to receive a M.A. in Business Design and Arts Leadership from Savannah College of Arts and Design, a degree that emphasizes supporting arts and culture while pursuing economic development. Since then, she has worked in Event and Program Management and looks forward to bringing her energy and expertise to this position.
At the county and regional level, COVID-19 is still a major focus. The Berrien County Health Department lifted their school mask mandate after a new state budget was signed that could potentially affect the department’s funding if the mandate was left in place.
A news release from the health department on Sept. 29 announced they were rescinding the public health order issued Sept. 1 requiring masking in schools. Department officials stated that language in the legislation passed by the state senate and house and signed by the governor tied health department funding to public health mandates.
“The Berrien County Health Department is being forced to rescind the Sept. 1 public health order requiring the use of face masks by individuals in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 indoor educational settings – or face loss of nearly $1.5 million in budget,” the news release stated.
Health department officials noted that any health department that has issued an emergency order in attempt to combat COVID-19, including enacting or enforcing an order requiring masks by anyone in a school setting, will be negatively impacted financially. While Gov. Whitmer stated that this language was “unconstitutional”, Berrien County legal counselors advised that it would stand until proven otherwise in a court of law.
Department officials are urging school districts to keep mask mandates in place even as the department’s public health order has been rescinded. Berrien County Board of Health members also stated that the health department will reinstate the mask mandate if the legislative language proves to be unconstitutional.
Local and regional officials also continue to research how they can spend the federal stimulus money being sent to municipalities and county governments. Berrien County is expected to get $30 million while most municipalities will be getting hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Michigan State University Extension Service along with regional partners will be offering a free workshop on Oct. 22 for local and county governmental leaders. The purpose of the workshop will be to assist government officials in deciding how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act funds they will be getting.
The workshop will take place at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence with people able to attend either in person or via Zoom. It will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 22. For more information and registration, people can visit the www.events.anr.msu.edu/arpa website.
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