Draft Muskegon County Recreation Facilities Master Plan 2015-2019 Update Approved by the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners February 24, 2015 Board of Commissioners Terry J. Sabo, Board Chair, District 8 Benjamin Cross, Vice Chair, District 2 Rillastine R. Wilkins, District 1 Susie Hughes, District 3 Robert Scolnik, District 4 Marvin R. Engle, District 5 Charles Nash, District 6 Jeff Lohman, District 7 Kenneth Mahoney, District 9 Friends of the County Parks Advisory Committee Kimberly Sims – District 1 Emma Torresen – District 2 Jerry Sanders – District 3 Vicki Broge (Chair) – District 4 Ken Hulka (Vice Chair) – District 5 Pamela Lynk – District 6 Lupe Alviar, Jr. – District 7 Veronica West – District 8 Rachel Star – District 9 Susan Cloutier-Meyers – Disability Advocate Erin Kuhn – Local Planning Professional Muskegon County Plan: 2015-2019 Photo Credits Commissioner Susie Hughes Muskegon County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Brandon Bartoszek Brenda Moore Planning Team Robert Lukens Connie Maxim-Sparrow Jeff Hiddema Jeff Winters Jonathan Wilson Sara Damm Vicki Luthy Amy Gonyo Tom VanBruggen Brenda Moore 1 Muskegon County Plan: 2015-2019 Table of Contents I. Overview Planning & Purpose………………………………………………………..………..3 II. Vision, Goals & Strategies……………………………………………………………………....7 III. Community Profile…………………………………………………………………………...…….26 IV. County Parks and Recreational Facility Administration & Planning Process……35 V. Recreational Facilities……………………………………………………………………………..37 VI. Five Year Capital Improvements Schedule………………………………………………..73 Maps Muskegon County Water Bodies……………………………………………………………….4 Major Nonnotarized Trails……………………………………….……………………………….5 School Districts……………………………………………………………………………….…….34 Attachments A - Materials Reviewed B - Impact of Natural Resource-based Tourism (excerpt) C- Resolutions, Notice and Adopting Minutes D- Public Comment E – Grant Funding History 2 Muskegon County Plan: 2015-2019 I. Overview & Planning Purpose We live in a wondrous place! Michigan has extraordinary and majestic resources. The Great Lakes Basin holds 84% of North America's fresh surface water and Michigan sits right in the middle of that treasure. Many of us take for granted the uniqueness and importance of our Great Lake geography. In particular, West Michigan is the only place in the world with fresh water and dunes. It is one of the few places on earth where grand sunsets can be seen over a massive unsalted water body. Muskegon County has 26.6 miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline. About 36% of that (9.5 miles) is in public ownership (state, county, or local government). Muskegon County is situated about midway up the coast of Michigan’s west side. We are a very special place because of our ports, natural resources, history, and people. Residents can access hundreds of miles of streams, thousands of acres of inland lakes, miles of public Great Lakes shoreline, urban centers, tens of thousands of acres of state land, federal land, and numerous county and local recreational facilities within minutes of their homes. Many of our treasures can be enjoyed at no cost, and as a result, numerous visitors from Southeast Michigan, Chicago, and Grand Rapids make Muskegon a destination for daytrips, weekends, and family vacations. The county is home to four drowned river mouths that empty into Lake Michigan; White, Duck, Bear, Muskegon, and Mona Lakes were created by river water that is constricted by the dunes to form a highly specialized ecosystem that are unique to the West Michigan shoreline. Each system includes wetland regions that provide spawning areas for fish, nesting areas for waterfowl, and abundant habitat for many other animal species. The largest Muskegon County lake, Muskegon Lake, has over 4,000 acres of surface water, while White Lake has over 2,500 acres. Numerous inland lakes cover the landscape, including: Fox, Wolf, Wolverine, Deer, Blue, Clear, Half Moon, and Twin Lakes. The Muskegon River is an enormous river system with federally designated wetland systems. The White River has natural river designation at the state level. These rivers, along with numerous streams (including Norris, Crockery, Cedar, Black, Little Black, and Mosquito Creeks) offer hundreds of miles of waterfront for recreation. (See waterbody and trail maps below) The availability of 60 miles of paved, non-motorized trails, and several water trails shows the importance of recreation, tourism, and healthy living in Muskegon County. The county also has numerous National Historic sites and museums, in addition to several performing arts venues. 3 Muskegon County Plan: 2015-2019 FL K OWER CREE 3 DEREMO 5 BIG BLUE BOAT LAUNCH MEINERT MONTAGUE TOWNSHIP LAKE SK PARK E E L 2 S C R EEK 120 WHITE BLUE LAKE VU LEGEND OF PARKS WHITE RIVER WOLVERINE PARK 31 HOLTON RIVER ¤£ LAKE CITY OF 1 ALFRED C. FAIRCHILD PARK TOWNSHIP TOWNSHIP MONTAGUE BLUE LAKE ROUND WHITEHALL LAKE 2 BLUE LAKE PARK BR31 K CREE £ AR MONTAGUE ¤ TOWNSHIP D CITY E TOWHSHIP BURNS & C 3 DEREMO PARK OF DEER LITTLE SILVER LAKES LAKE WHITEHALL CRYSTAL & BLUE LAKE AUSTON LAKES DU 4 HERITAGE LANDING CK CRE EK SWEET LAKE MIDDLE 5 NORTH MEINERT PARK FOX LAKE LAKE WHITE LAKE LAKE WEST LAKE 9 6 MOORE PARK HORNING'S VILLAGE OF TWIN WATER WAYS DUCK LAKE LAKEWOOD CLUB LAKE TWIN LAKE 7 PATTERSON PARK PARK CLEAR LAKE DUCK LAKE DU 'S CREE CK CRE EK G K & BODIES OF N STATE PARK CEDAR CREEK RNI 8 HO PIONEER PARK DU DALTON CK C CEDAR CREEK DUCK R EEK 9 TWIN LAKE PARK MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP LAKE FRUITLAND TOWNSHIP 10 VETERAN'S MEMORIAL PARK COUNTY LAKE MICHIGAN TOWNSHIP R E IV 31 R £ ON ¤ R 120 EDA C EG VU C RE USK E BEAR CREEK K M PIONEER PARK R VE K I E K R E E K 8 E N E E R O R R EDAR C C LAKETON C G OS QUIT O C E M SK N VETERAN'S M U UV37 E E K TOWNSHIP R BEAR MEMORIAL E G E LAKE R PARK WOLF C MOORE Y R 10 LAKE E PARK SNUG HARBOR WOLF K 6 C MUSKEGON STATE PARK MUSKEGON LAKE O BR31 R C HALF MOON FISHERMAN'S £ ¤ LAKE LANDING TOWNSHIP Ê CITY OF HARTSHORN EGELSTON MUSKEGON 4 1 1 in = 3 miles MARINA MOORLAND NORTH LAKE UV45 CASNOVIA 45 Miles MUSKEGON HERITAGE ALFRED C. TOWNSHIP UV GRAND TOWNSHIP COTTAGE FAIRCHILD TOWNSHIP TRUNK LANDING VILLAGE OF 0 0.5 1 2 3 4 5 GROVE PARK CARR LAKES C CASNOVIA R A NBE RRY CITY OF MUSKEGON K C CR C R EE A E K CITY OF L E B K MUSKEGON OWA EK N C E R HEIGHTS R E E C K E K K C VILLAGE OF LA MONA LAKE B RAVENNA PARK CITY OF MAP LEGEND ROOSEVELT EK MONA LAKE RE Y C PARK ER K C RIVERS & STREAMS O R SULLIVAN C FRUITPORT RAVENNA LAKES K E TOWNSHIP E TOWNSHIP R C TOWNSHIP j[ COUNTY PARKS IS R R CITY OF NO 7 OC NORTON SHORES 96 CR KER Y CR OTHER BOAT LAUNCHES ¨¦§ EEK !! !! K ! E ! E PATTERSON !! R ! C ! MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES VILLAGE OF RY PARK KE C FRUITPORT O Map created December 15, 2014 R C HIGHWAYS By Muskegon County GIS FRUITPORT ROADS & STREETS 141 IS Dept & 173 E. Apple Ave, Suite 201 LITTLE 31 BLACK LAKE ¤£ Muskegon, MI 49445 SPRING P: 231-724-4458/6810 F: 231-724-1129 LAKE www.muskegoncountygis.com Map Data: Muskegon County GIS Projection: State Pland NAD 1983 Michigan South Zone, International Feet Document Path:O:\GIS\Projects\000_MAINTENANCE\PARKS&REC\11x17_WATER_BODIES_2014-12-15.mxd 4 5 5 4 3 Miles 2 Ê LEGEND 1 in = = in3 miles 1 MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES MUNICIPAL MAJOR LAKES MAJOR RIVERS AND STREAMS AND RIVERS HIGHWAYS COUNTY PARKS COUNTY BIKE LANE - ROAD SIDE ROAD - LANE BIKE PAVED TRAIL PAVED ! ! 1 !!!! COUNTY [ j TRAILS OF !!!!! 0.5 ! ! ! Trail Type Trail MUSKEGON 0 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 37 ! ! U V ! [ j ! CASNOVIA VILLAGE OF VILLAGE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! LAKE ! ! ! PARK ! HALF MOON MOORE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! CASNOVIA TOWNSHIP ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 45 V ! 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