SECTION D: RECREATION INVENTORY

 

 

 

 

 

1)       

Community Recreation Inventory:  The Antrim County Parks and Recreation Commission and the staff of the Office of the Coordinator/Planner completed a comprehensive inventory of community recreational resources in 2000.  For seven months in 2004 this same Commission did an exhaustive review of the inventory.  A comprehensive, updated inventory was required before effective identification and prioritization of community recreation needs could be accomplished.

 

 

 

 

 

The inventory was updated through an exhaustive survey of all county, township, and village recreational facilities.  Data was also compiled with the goal of placing the information in a searchable database, on the Antrim County web site.  Several columns, including GPS coordinates, were added in order to make the inventory a more useful tool to the potential users of these recreational resources.  Review of the data by county and local officials helped establish a base inventory as well as what facilities are needed to meet current and projected uses. Subsequent communications and face-to-face meetings with county and local officials clarified changes and added new facilities to the inventory. As the inventory developed copies pertaining to each unit of government were mailed for their review and approval of the complied product.

 

 

 

 

 

The following pages describe the updated recreational inventory for Antrim County. For easier geographic reference all county properties/facilities, local public properties/facilities, and all school and private properties/facilities within the County have been organized and listed by township. Included with this inventory are facility location maps that illustrate the location and spatial distribution of all recreational facilities within Antrim County.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)       

Regional Recreation Opportunities: In compiling its recreation inventory the Antrim County Parks and Recreation Commission also tabulated an inventory of recreational facilities outside of the county. The purpose of this regional inventory was to provide a broader perspective to available recreational opportunities, thereby permitting the County Parks and Recreation Commission to better assess community recreation needs.

 

 

 

 

 

In compiling this regional recreation inventory the Antrim County Parks and Recreation Commission choose to only inventory those counties immediately adjacent to Antrim County. This decision was made because it was felt that the counties adjacent to Antrim County would provide the best perspective in which to analyze community recreation needs. It should also be noted that this regional recreation inventory is not exhaustive (many local recreational facilities and perhaps some county facilities were not accounted for). The purpose of the regional recreation inventory was to better assess recreation needs within Antrim County. Therefore only the most significant recreational facilities within the adjacent counties were inventoried.

 

 

 

 

 

The immediate recreational opportunities lying to the north of Antrim County are within Charlevoix County. Recreational opportunities within Charlevoix County include Fisherman's Island State Park on the shore of Lake Michigan, numerous skiing and golfing opportunities at Boyne Mountain Resort, and non-motorized trail opportunities; as typified by the Petoskey - Charlevoix Trail. There are also numerous boating and fishing opportunities available on Charlevoix County's inland lakes, specifically Walloon Lake and Lake Charlevoix.

 

 

 

 

 

Recreation opportunities lying to the east of Antrim County are found primarily within Otsego County. Otsego State Park, Hidden Valley Resort, Sylvan Treetops Resort, and numerous motorized and non-motorized trails, including the 47-mile Cheboygan - Gaylord Rail-Trail, highlight the opportunities found within this county.

 

 

 

 

 

The majority of immediately accessible regional recreation opportunities are found within the counties of Kalkaska and Grand Traverse. Significant acres of State Forest land are located within Kalkaska County. Within State Forest land areas, and along the heavily used Boardman and Manistee rivers are numerous State, county, and privately owned camping and canoeing facilities. The Village of Kalkaska is home to the Kaliseum recreational complex. Kalkaska County also contains many motorized (including the Kalkaska Area ORV Trail, the Blue Bear Snowmobile Trail, and several MDNR snowmobile and ORV trails) and non-motorized trails (including the North County Trail, the Shore to Shore Trail, the Kalkaska Winterfest Trail, and the Boardman River Water Trail) within its borders. Kalkaska County has also recently added a new little league park in Rapid City based on their Recreation Plan.  The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy also manages two nature preserves (the Seven Bridges Natural Area and the Skegemog Swamp Pathway) within the County.

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Traverse County, the most heavily populated county in the immediate region, contains the largest variety of recreational opportunities in the area. Grand Traverse County contains several natural areas and state parks, including the Sand Lakes Quiet Area, the Brown Bridge Quiet Area, the Traverse City State Park, and the Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve. Numerous non-motorized trail opportunities, including the North American Vasa Trail and single-track mountain biking path, the Traverse Area Recreation Trail (TART), the North County Trail, the Shore to Shore Horseback Riding Trail, and the Boardman River Water Trail are found within the County. In addition, to non-motorized opportunities, several motorized trail opportunities exist, including Boardman Valley Snowmobile Trail and the Grand Traverse ORV Cycle Trail. Numerous private skiing, golfing, and gaming opportunities exist within the County. Highlighting these opportunities are the Grand Traverse Resort, the Turtle Creek Casino and Resort, and the Holiday Hills Recreational Area.

 

 

 

 

3)       

Community Barrier-Free Compliance Status: All county recreational facilities were evaluated for accessibility as part of the recreation inventory process by the Parks and Recreation Commission, in conjunction with their managing agencies in 1999. As part of the recreation inventory process in 2004, all local units of government (townships and villages) were asked to report their degree of compliance on all facilities. All local units of government were also asked to report any barrier-free action steps with their planned improvement schedules. All responses from the local units of government are listed earlier in this section.

 

 

 

 

 

Antrim County continues to address and resolve all identified accessibility issues at all major county recreation areas. Recent projects that have increased accessibility to our recreational resources include an accessible bathhouse and accessible playground equipment at Barnes Park.  The recently completed Antrim Creak Natural Area included construction of two barrier-free trails and utilizes accessible portable toilet units.  The Action Plan and Capital Improvements Schedule, identified in Section E, call for the construction of an accessible office at Barnes Park, and for the construction of a new Interpretative Center at the Grass River Natural Area.  It should be stressed that all accessibility improvements will conform to the guidelines listed in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to the guidelines developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

 

 

 

 

 

Until all accessibility action items have been completed, Antrim County will continue to implement the following transition methods: The Grass River, Inc. will continue use of an accessible, wooden entrance ramp at the Grass River Natural Area Interpretive Center until a new facility can be constructed. Continued use of accessible portable toilet units will occur at the Antrim Creek Natural Area until all accessible measures identified in the Antrim Creek Natural Area Master Plan have been implemented.

 

 

 

 

 

Many individuals have chosen Antrim County as their retirement community.  With this aging population, Antrim County is very committed to maintaining and increasing accessibility to our recreational resources.  All future facilities and programs will be developed in compliance with ADA guidelines and the guidelines developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.