Fitness

Manchester lays out streetscape, shared-use path projects

Plugging Manchester, Michigan into a series of unscientific small-town observations, it's clear the village is the perfect Dairy Queen kind of burg. Manchester's intimate (pop. 2,234, per a 2009 American Community Survey estimate), but not too bitty-sized populace supports a 19th-century downtown, a millpond, potential filmmaking activity (HBO recently scouted it for a mini-series based on the book Undaunted Courage), and, of course, a '50s-era DQ. In short, it's the kind of community which the street-side ice cream syndicate seems to find irresistible. "We are pleased that we are a quaint small town because back in the 1960s the village did make an effort to preserve its Italianate downtown architecture and not have strip malls and the classic fast food restaurants, those types of things, come into downtown," says Ray Berg, president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. While its vintage air evokes time at a stand-still, Manchester is now the focus of a streetscape project, similar to those already underway by its Washtenaw County brethren – Ypsilanti's being the latest example. As an add-on to this year's rebuilding of M-52, a new downtown streetscape is tentatively set to be laid in 2012. The project will cost approximately $750,000 and is funded through a transportation enhancement grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation, says Village Manager Jeff Wallace. Upgrades include new streetlights, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, trash receptacles, three or four seating areas with benches and shrubbery, and brick paver accents. Officials are also working with Consumers Energy and a couple of manufacturers on new streetlighting options, Wallace adds. "We're leaning towards LED [lighting]."The village has also received a commitment letter from Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation to contribute funding towards a two-mile walk and bike path that will bridge the Manchester Millpond and run along the village-owned abandoned rail bed through the heart of Manchester. Cost estimates run about $800,000, Berg says. Preliminary engineering, design work, final approval, and the addressing of public comments from village residents is next at hand. "The key thing is that we're not going to be utilizing village tax revenues for it," he notes. "The village basically contributes the land that it owns, and then from thereon project teams will pull together funding from a variety of sources that sponsor shared-use paths." Possibilities include a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and community fundraising, Berg says. He anticipates the path work could start in 2012.Source: Ray Berg, president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce;  Jeff Wallace, Manchester village managerWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

More links coming to Border to Border Trail

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hand

If anyone knows that necessity is the mother of invention it's Mike Burns. An inventor and innovator who has found success matching tech innovation to the world of running, he stumbled across his latest greatest idea: the Handeholder, an iPad accessory that's raking in orders by the thousands.

Safe Routes to School program promotes walking and biking

In this era of suburban sprawl and parents bypassing the bus to drive their progeny to school, a new wind is blowing. The desire for walkable communities with fitter populations is now being bred at a tender age via the federal Safe Routes to School program. Last December the Michigan Dept of Transportation announced that 10 Michigan schools will receive $1.4 million in federal Safe Routes to School funds, including a grant totaling $160,840 to Ann Arbor's Thurston Elementary School. The funds are to be used for capital and educational projects to facilitate walking and biking to school."It is both a federal program by which Thurston Elementary School and 70-plus other schools in Michigan have received funding, and it's a movement to challenge the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of students and families with regard to travel to and from school," explains Lee Kokinakis, senior director of Safe Routes to School. The Thurston Elementary School project will include, among other things, installing pedestrian refuge islands on Green Road; improving crosswalks and pedestrian accessibility on Green Road at its points of intersection with Gettysburg Road and Burbank Drive; and implementing pedestrian and bicycle safety programs at the school.Other schools, too, are laying their groundwork. As of December 20 last year, 496 Michigan schools – 26 of which were in Washtenaw County – had registered with the program, according to the Safe Routes to School team. Registration is not the same as submitting a funding application, Kokinakis emphasizes, but it is the initial step a school takes to indicate interest in planning for a safe route to school. "In cases where the distance is reasonable and where the routes are safe, walking and bicycling [to school] is a very viable alternative," Kokinakis says. "It has many benefits in that it's a very similar alternative to the general walkable community principle."Source: Lee Kokinakis, senior director of Safe Routes to SchoolWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

Ann Arbor’s getDowntown Commuter Challenge posts new highs

Sure, anyone can drive their own car to work -- but how about walking, carpooling, busing, or kayaking to get home? This year's Commuter Challenge, through the month of May, saw 326,992 sustainable miles logged (up from 286,883 last year), the equivalent of driving around the earth 13 times. In all, 20,522 sustainable commutes were logged (up from 19,967) by 1,848 people (also up, from 1,748). And yes, a few people organized a kayak trip home down the Huron River. "Every year we get better and better," says Nancy Shore, director of getDowntown, which encourages and supports commuting. Shore also organizes the Commuter Challenge. She says she found that often people have been interested in commuting to work, but driving a car where you want to go is just like any other habit. "The Commuter Challenge was the extra incentive, the extra push to get out of the habit," she says. "This is a time when (commuters) actually get off their butt and do it." She's still analyzing results of a commuter survey, but is surprised to see how many people are giving commuting a try for health reasons. Awards were given to commuters that already rode their bikes to work, who tried various types of commutes, and who logged the most miles biking or walking. Commuter-friendly workplaces were also recognized.Organizations encouraging commuting were also up from last year, to 164 from 138. Considering the cost of gas, participants saved $441,535 for the month, which amounts to $239 per person.Source: Nancy Shore, director for getDowntownWriter: Kristin Lukowski