# City closes deal, buys railroad right-of-way



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

I've been following this story for a long time and I really did not think that this would work out as it did. Good news and a good feeling.

http://www.freep.com/news/locoak/noak13_20021213.htm

SYLVAN LAKE: City closes deal, buys railroad right-of-way 

December 13, 2002Sylvan Lake officials ended a six-year effort this week when they closed a deal to buy nearly a mile of railroad right-of-way that will become a key segment of Oakland County's trail network.

The city paid $250,000 on Thursday to purchase the land, held since spring by the Trust for Public Land after the trust bought it from the railroad, said Sylvan Lake City Manager John Martin.

"We feel pretty good" because the initial asking price from Canadian National Railways was nearly half a million dollars, Martin said Thursday.

Although short, Sylvan Lake's segment was essential for completing the 12-mile Clinton River Trail, a hike-or-bike path being developed through Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Rochester. At each end, the Clinton River Trail will link other paths crossing Macomb and Oakland counties.

For years, planners worried that Sylvan Lake residents opposing the trail would put a hole in the county's trail hopes. When the city's financing fell short, Grosse Pointe Farms environmentalist John Seldon wrote a $40,000 check.

Other contributions include a $75,000 grant from the nonprofit Greenways Initiative in Detroit and a $12,000 donation from HoMedics Inc. in Commerce Township. The city expects the balance of about $123,000 to be covered by other donations and a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, Martin said. By Bill Laitner


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