Committee backs $700,000 trail restoration and $4 million operations agreement for Clinton River Oaks park

The Governmental Operations Committee voted to approve two related park actions that together will repair a damaged stretch of the Clinton River Trail and create a new Oakland County park along the Clinton River.

The first vote authorized a $700,000 park development agreement with the City of Rochester to close final funding gaps for repairs to two catastrophic washouts on the Clinton River Trail, at a location that connects several cross‑state trail systems. Park staff described the larger restoration as a multi‑partner project supported by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan; county staff said the county contribution completes the local funding package required to proceed.

The second action approves an operations and management agreement with the City of Rochester Hills, and a related $4,000,000 payment, to create and operate a new county park — Clinton River Oaks — comprising roughly 275 acres when combined with adjacent parcels and parkland. County staff described a purchase agreement on a privately owned 128‑acre parcel (a portion of the park area) and said the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission will provide approximately $300,000 toward that purchase to support an invasive species mitigation project focused on sea lamprey spawning control.

Park staff emphasized the environmental and recreational value of the area: the project will preserve riverine habitat, restore trail continuity at a key crossroads of the Iron Belle Trail and the Great Lakes-to-Lake Trail, and add accessible trail and paddling opportunities. Engineers described the washouts as severe — roughly 100 feet long and 10 feet deep in one stretch — and said restoration includes installing appropriately sized culverts and other drainage work; state permits for the mitigation work were reported as secured.

Commissioners questioned operation details and public access, including whether the existing Bloomer Park parking fee would apply to the county park entrances. County staff said there will be multiple free access points (for example via Yates Road parking and the Clinton River Trail) while the active, program‑oriented portion of Bloomer Park may retain a parking charge tied to local cost‑recovery practices; staff said revenue sharing and parking arrangements would be part of the transition discussions during the six‑month implementation period.

The committee recorded a 6‑to‑1 vote in favor of the items presented. Committee members asked that staff document how the county’s $4 million contribution relates to prior capital investments by the city, and staff provided a breakdown during discussion citing major investments such as parking and drainage work that informed the negotiated amount.

Next steps include finalizing purchase paperwork for the privately owned parcel, completing the operations and management agreement details during the transition period and returning any outstanding items (including a separate agreement for an adjacent parcel) to the board for final approval.