The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission would like to invite anyone with an interest in trails, bike lanes and non-motorized facilities to attend a public input meeting for St. Joseph County later this week.

The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will take place Thursday evening (December 10th) from 6:30 to 8:30 in the Dresser Business Development Auditorium at Glen Oaks Community College on Shimmel Road near Centreville.

At this meeting attendees will accomplish the following:

1.    Create a vision of connected trails in southwest Michigan.
2.    Discuss the prioritization of projects.
3.    Test the usability of the existing Southwest Michigan bike map.

This public input meeting and other such sessions will contribute to the progress of the 9-county Non-Motorized Transportation Plan for Southwest Michigan.  The 9-county plan will be utilized by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), local officials and advocacy groups to prioritize non-motorized investments in the region and will provide a vision for a non-motorized transportation network that will be used to secure private and governmental funding for implementation.

Plan development is being funded by MDOT.  The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) is facilitating and writing the 9-county plan with assistance from the Southwest Michigan Alliance for Recreation Trails (SMART).  The SWMPC is working with several partners in each county to develop the plan.

For more information about this project please visit www.swmpc.org/smart_plan.asp.

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