Village purchasing land to create unpaved bike trail

The Milford Village Council voted Monday, Jan. 3 to approve spending $3,300 to purchase a DTE property and create an unpaved bike trail extending into the state’s Proud Lake Recreational Area.

The trail will extend from the village south of Garden Road to the recreation area. The project will be paid for through a Milford Trail Committee escrow fund.

Prior to the property purchase, a survey was conducted through the Metro South Chapter of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association.

Village Manager Arthur Shufflebarger stated in a memo to council members that the purchase would serve as an effort to promote bike trail usage and the connectivity of area trails.

The purchase is just the latest in a series of moves by the council involving bicycle use in the village.

Last month, the council approved an amendment to the village’s zoning ordinance to allow a restricted outdoor display for rental bicycles in the community’s B-2 Central Business District, after a request was brought forth from the owners of the Trail’s Edge Bike Shop at the Mill Valley Center near the Milford Bike Trail.

The Village Council also approved a date of July 31, 2011 for the third annual Milford Criterium bicycle races in downtown Milford.