Community Input Form
Current RCRA Recreation Plan (Draft Version)
The Participating and creating Municipalities of the Authority are the City of Three Rivers, a Michigan Municipal Corporation, and the Township of Fabius, a Michigan Municipal Corporation. The Territory of the Authority shall include all of the property situated within the corporate boundaries of all of the Participating Municipalities.
The Authority shall be directed and governed by a Board of Trustees, known as the “River Country Recreational Authority Board” and hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “Board.” The Board shall always be comprised of an odd number of Board members. The Board is comprised of two members from each participating municipality and a member selected by the St. Joseph County Parks Recreation Commission.
The City of Three Rivers Clerk and City of Three Rivers Treasurer, who shall not be members of the Board, unless appointed, shall act and assume the authority and responsibilities of the Secretary and Treasurer of the Authority, respectively.
Additional information regarding specifics of the board members is in the attached Articles of Incorporation.
The purpose of the Authority shall be to acquire, construct, operate, maintain and/or improve parks and trails. The overriding purpose being non-motorized trails. Parks would be related to trails and limited in scope to support trail activities.
The Authority does not intend to pursue other facilities as are authorized by Section 5 of Act 321 without consultation with the legislative bodies of each of the Participating Municipalities.
The Authority has never been directly affiliated with the Three Rivers Sports Complex, also known as Armstrong Park, and has no intention to have any future involvement in the Three Rivers Sports Complex. The Three Rivers Sports Complex is operated under the River Country Sports Commission, a wholly separate and unaffiliated organization.
The Authority receives annual contributions from the participating municipality members to cover administrative costs (office supplies and other related minimal costs of doing business plus necessary audits as required by state law). Current contributions are $2500 annually per member.
Current monies for trail construction and related activities are acquired through grants and voluntary contributions. Generally such contributions are project specific. The Authority does have alternative funding sources as established in Act 321.
The budget is maintained by the City of Three Rivers Treasurer with the approval of the Board. Current budget is attached along with a reference to the most recent state-filed audit.
The Authority strives to work with the founding partnering municipalities and the St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation. Our goal is to enhance recreational opportunities these entities provide to the community.
The Authority was instrumental in creating the Meyer Broadway Trail connecting the Meyer Broadway County Park on Broadway Road in Fabius Township to the Beacon Health and Fitness facility located on S. Health Parkway. The trail is paved and meets ADA requirements. This trail is maintained by the City of Three Rivers.
The Authority strives to promote and enhance existing recreational opportunities in the area. Attached are the recreational plans with inventories for the City of Three Rivers and St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation.
The Authority was created in 2011 with the intention of improving recreational opportunities in the Three Rivers area (Three Rivers and surrounding townships). It was never the intention of the Authority to replace or compete with parks and recreational opportunities already being provided through the county or other municipalities. Nor was it the intention to compete with private or non-profit opportunities. To that end, our goal is to continue enhancing the experience of existing trails and recreational opportunities.
The following projects have no particular priority, but we believe are projects that would benefit the community
This trail would connect Meyer Broadway County Park to the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) Coon Hollow Preserve. The trail would parallel Ferguson Road in the road right-of-way running north from Meyer Broadway County Park, crossing Ferguson at some point and entering the Coon Hollow Preserve.
The non-motorized trail would be made of crushed stone requiring minimal maintenance. Maintenance responsibility will be determined during the planning phase of the project.
Connecting the two areas creates an enhanced opportunity for the user. Meyer Broadway County Park is a multi-purpose park that includes hiking trails. SWMLC Coon Hollow Preserve offers a short hiking trail and viewing platform in a wetland environment.
This short trail would connect three key recreational opportunities: the Beacon Health and Fitness facility in Three Rivers, the Meyer Broadway County Park in Fabius, and the SWMLC Coon Hollow Preserve, also in Fabius.
The Kettles Preserve is a recent addition to the St. Joseph County Parks. The preserve is located south of Three Rivers in Fabius Township. The Kettles Preserve offers trails through transitional landscape from former farmland, hardwoods, pine, and includes a path along the St. Joseph River (3500 feet).
Connecting the Kettles Preserve to the Broadway/131 area would provide users with the opportunity to connect through non-motorized trails with the Beacon Health and Fitness facility in Three Rivers, the Meyer Broadway County Park in Fabius, and the SWMLC Coon Hollow Preserve, also in Fabius.
The non-motorized trail would be made of crushed stone requiring minimal maintenance. Maintenance responsibility will be determined during the planning phase of the project.
Additional considerations include the opportunity to connect with the Commission on Aging (COA) facility on Broadway east of 131 and also with the planned senior living facility on Broadway (west of 131) along the Meyer Broadway Trail.
The Three Rivers Sports Complex is a recent addition to the Three Rivers community. The sports complex offers opportunities to users of all ages. Multiple ball fields are available for youth baseball and soccer. Pickle ball courts and walking trails are available for people of all ages.
The Tamarac subdivision is a large residential area north of Three Rivers in Lockport Township. Currently the primary connectors to the sports complex are Portage Street and North Main Street. Both of these streets are high traffic and create potential hazards for unaccompanied children going to the complex. Creating a non-motorized connector trail between Tamarac and the sports complex would allow for safe passage for users of all ages.
The trail would start at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Chippewa Drive and proceed south through currently vacant land and end at the sports complex. Preliminary discussions with the land owner have been extremely positive.
The non-motorized trail would be made of crushed stone requiring minimal maintenance. Maintenance responsibility will be determined during the planning phase of the project.
Connecting Tamarac with the sports complex has multiple short term and long term benefits. Directly across Portage Street from the entrance to the sports complex is the SWMLC Hidden Marsh Preserve. The Hidden Marsh Preserve has multiple trails that lead back to the St. Joseph River. This area of the river is home to multiple species of water fowl that are easily observed from the trails.
The SWMLC Hidden Marsh is connected via sidewalk along Portage Street to downtown Three Rivers as well as the Portage River Walk trail right off Hoffman Street.