OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Aug. 1, 2026) – Ahead of a vote to renew and restore the existing Parks and Open Space Millage, the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission is touting the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the Musketawa Trail.
On Thursday, the commission announced that about nine and a half miles of the route, from the Marne Trailhead west to Squires Road, has reopened. It’s part of a two-year, $12.5 million overhaul, which includes complete repaving, clearing trees, and replacing 11 culverts and multiple bridges over a 12-mile stretch, with the remaining eastern portion of the trail, from Squires Road to the Ravenna Trailhead, expected to reopen around Labor Day.
This coming Tuesday, county voters will be asked to renew a third of a mill levy over a 10-year period for parks and open space. It’s represents an ongoing investment in continuing operations, as well as completing the Idema Explorers Trail, planned land acquisitions at Bend Area, and improvements at Rosy Mound, according to County Commissioner John Teeples of Jenison.
Should the August renewal request pass, Ottawa County Parks will ask voters for an additional two tenths of a mill on the November 3 ballot for planned improvements in programming, preservation, and infrastructure.
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