UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Many Residents have recently been contacting the Township Board in regards to the Red Cedar Glen Land Preserve.

The land preserve is about a fifteen acre plot aquired by the township in 2006 for almost a half a million dollars,

Parks and Land Management Coordinator, Jane Greenway, said, “it’s one of the nicest properties in the land preservation programs portfolio.”

So what's the big issue?

Greenway elaborated, “unfortunately the land preserve sits right along an east, west rout that would be a very important connection to provide for non motorized transportation. So, it’s kind of a blocked area so people have to go all the way up Dobie, to Grandriver, then down Van Atta, then get around if they are going to follow the rules.”

As a result many citizens wonder if there is an alternative.

“A lot of people have come to us and said can’t you please open this up to bikes and maybe we could improve, put in boardwalking and some gravel and things like that which protect the land a little bit more to make it better for bicycles, but it’s not protected now whether its foot traffic or bicycle traffic,” Greenway said.

One of the biggest problems at the red cedar glen land preserve is private citizens trying to build their own bridge to cross the river. The water moves around the logs or makeshift bridge creating a deterioration in the river bed.

At this point the Land Preservation section of the zoning ordinance does not allow bicycles on the Red Cedar Glen Land Preserve.


ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Residents have had concerns about bycicle use in the Red Cedar Glen Land Preserve.