Brown Bridge Trust Fund Park Improvements

November 2025 Election

Ballot Proposal Passed

 

Brown Bridge Parks Improvement Trust Fund

In November 2025, city voters approved a ballot proposal that asksed permission to spend up to $3 million, between November 2025 and November 2030, of the Brown Bridge Trust Fund and use for City park capital improvements and/or improvements that increase accessibility to City parkland and/or acquisition of property to be designated as parkland. If any of the $3 million dollars is not contractually committed to a project by November 5, 2030, that amount shall be returned to the Brown Bridge Trust Fund.

The City’s electorate approved the use of Brown Bridge Trust Fund dollars for park capital improvements in both 2014 and 2019. The most recent authorization expired on November 4, 2024.

Ballot Proposal 1: November 2025

Shall the Charter of the City of Traverse City, Section 129, which currently provides that the principal of the Brown Bridge Trust Fund may only be used upon approval of the voters, be amended to allow the City Commission for a period of five years to place $3,000,000.00 of Brown Bridge Trust Fund principal in a separate trust fund for City park capital improvements and/or improvements that increase accessibility to City parkland, and any of the three million dollars not contractually committed to a project within five years, shall be returned to the Brown Bridge Trust Fund?

Public Input

The Brown Bridge Trust Fund Ad Hoc Committee met regularly to guide the development of ballot language and a proposed project list for the use of Trust Fund revenues. The Committee focused on identifying projects through a transparent, public-driven process. Community input played a central role in shaping the proposed project list. An initial open-ended survey was conducted in winter 2025 to gather broad ideas and priorities. Building on those results, a second survey in July 2025 focused on specific themes of access, improvements, and land acquisition. In August 2025, a prioritization survey was distributed to help refine the community’s preferences.

In addition to public surveys, feedback was provided by the Parks & Recreation Commission, the Hickory Hills Advisory Committee, and City staff. Across all sources of input, a clear theme emerged: strong public support to invest in existing parks to benefit residents and improve access.

Project List

Investments (listed in random order, and not necessarily order of priority)

  1. West Bay Lake Shore Stabilization: beach access, water quality, erosion
  2. Brown Bridge Quiet Area: Trail and trailhead development for recent land acquisition
  3. Hickory Hills Mountain Bike Trail Design & Development
  4. Park Essentials: Waste receptacles, picnic tables, benches
  5. Park Experiences: Playground equipment, sport amenities, interactive features, pavilions, pedestrian scale lighting
  6. Trees: Increased canopy and shade in parks
  7. Pickleball & Tennis Court Reconstruction at Slabtown Corners

Access (listed in random order, and not necessarily order of priority)

  1. Boardman Lake Loop Trail Access
  2. Bryant Park Access: Improved pedestrian and bicycle access
  3. ADA Access Improvements

The Five-Year Parks & Recreation Master Plan, currently undergoing an update, will further inform the details of the proposed projects. As with prior projects that were supported through the Brown Bridge Trust Fund, the scale of investments may depend upon securing additional funding and/or partnerships. 

Project Updates - October 2026

Pickleball & Tennis Court Restoration or Reconstruction: $450k allocation

  • Construction drawings are complete.
  • Bidding is expected in November 2026, with a planned start date for spring 2027, and completion expected by end of August 2027.

West Bay Lake Shore Stabilization Project: $1M allocation

  • The City has retained GEI as a consultant to begin the design and data collection phase.
  • Continued partnership with The Watershed Center.
  • Consultants are working on an ArcGIS Online Map that can be used for viewing spatial analysis data.

Hickory Hills Mountain Bike Trail Design & Development: $350k allocation

  • After construction bids received exceeded the guaranteed maximum price, Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association (NMMBA) has submitted a turn-key proposal to mobilize the Hickory Hills mountain bike trail system. Through the proposal, NMMBA will work directly with the City to guide design, volunteer mobilization, and long- term community stewardship of municipal trail assets.

Trailhead Construction for Brown Bridge Quiet Area Spring Lake Property: $350k allocation

  • Permits are being processed for the necessary design and construction.
  • Expected bid time is mid-winter with an expected start date for spring/summer 2027.

Boardman Lake Loop Trail Access at 16th Street: $100k allocation

  • The RRFB at Sixteenth/Cass is planned planned for bid this fall with constucted anticipated for spring 2027.

 

Past Improvements

The Brown Bridge Trust Parks Improvement Fund has been used for several park improvements including extensive improvements at Hickory Hills, and improvements to neighborhood parks such as F&M Park, Boon Street Park, Indian Woods Park, and Arbutus Court Park. Funds from the 2019 proposal also contributed to the City’s new Park Signage project. Additionally, improvements at Ashton Park, Highland Park, and Jupiter Park are in the planning stages and will be funded through the 2019 proposal.