Suttons Bay Township is inviting residents to review a new five-year recreation plan and provide input at a special meeting on Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. at the township office.

Completion of the draft recreation plan will put the township in a position to apply for more grant funding from the State of Michigan and other sources for township park and recreation projects.

Suttons Bay Township is slated to receive $394,000 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund this year to help pay for its No. 1 park project in the new plan, the proposed Herman Park located at County Road 633 and Herman Road just south of Suttons Bay Public Schools.

Township officials are also encouraging residents to serve on several committees being formed as plans for Herman Park are implemented this year.

Township supervisor Rich Bahle said committees are being formed to help raise more funds for the Herman Park project, market the project, and finalize plans to develop portions of the 120-acre Herman property. It is expected that the project will have an overall pricetag of around $1.7 million payable over the next five years.

Bahle noted that plans are in place to obtain additional grant funding for the Herman Park project to add to the funding already obtained through grants.

Herman Park is the latest and most ambitious park project in Suttons Bay Township, according to the draft "Community Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan."

The township last year acquired a 43-acre parcel along M-22, including some West Grand Traverse Bay water frontage, known as the 45th Parallel Park. The cost of developing that park for "passive" recreation such as hiking and nature viewing is estimated at around $100,000 between now and 2012.

Goals listed in the draft plan focus on providing a variety of "close to home" recreational opportunities – ranging from "active" recreational amenities such as athletic fields at Herman Park to "passive" amenities at the 45th Parallel Park – all "close to home" and accessible on foot or by bike via the Leelanau Trail.

The draft plan calls for close cooperation with the Michigan Department of Transportation, which provided most of the funding to acquire the 45th Parallel Park, and Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc., which owns and operates the Leelanau Trail. Other partners include the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The township’s Graham Green Park located near Peshawbestown is also slated for improvement in the draft plan.

Bahle said that any Suttons Bay Township resident interested in providing input on recreation plans or serving on related committees should contact him or recreation committee chair Deb Slocombe through the township office at 271-2722. The township office is located in Suite C of the plaza at 321 St. Joseph Ave. (M-22) in downtown Suttons Bay.