Accessibility in the Community: Delhi Township Adds New Accessible Kayak/Canoe Launch

Despite the perpetual game of hide-and-seek that our Michigan spring weather keeps playing with us, the sun poked out just long enough to get temps to climb into the high 50s this afternoon, perfect conditions for a family nature walk to break up the monotony of a quarantine period that has dragged on for over a month now. Our family has been trying our best to stay active over the past five weeks, which has mostly consisted of walking the dog around the neighborhood several times a day, biking the Ram Trail into Holt, or visiting one of the nearby parks like Burchfield or Valhalla for a more rustic hike through the woods. Since we already had to drive into town to drop off a few packages at the post office, we decided to change things up a bit today and walk some of the trails around Deadman’s Hill that I used to explore as a kid, the property that is tucked in behind the Berkley Square/Holbrook Hills and Huntley Square neighborhoods that was rededicated as John Taylor Memorial Park a few years ago.

(Now for those of you who are new to my writing style, this is the part of the blog where I get all nostalgic and sentimental for a while, providing a bunch of seemingly unrelated detail, before eventually coming full circle to get back on topic and tie the whole thing together).

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Needless to say, the park and the surrounding area has changed a lot over the past 40+ years, back when me and my friends were first traipsing through the cold and snow to go sledding, or spending a hot summer afternoon walking the perimeter of the pond in search of frogs or painter turtles. For starters, the entrance and parking lot off of South Cedar street hadn’t existed back then. The only visible evidence of there even being anything beyond the “No Outlet” signs posted at the end of Tuscany, Jeanne and Schoolcraft streets were a series of crude trails, almost unrecognizable dirt walking paths that quickly disappeared into the waist-high brush. In fact, I can remember when the old part of Huntley Square used to end at Tuscany, and my dad would take us kids for motorcycle rides down the solitary gravel road that snaked its way back through the expansive fields where the current Berkley Square and Holbrook Hills neighborhoods are located, and out to what is now the round-about on Cedar Street.

These area parks are part of my cherished memories, my life narrative, the very DNA of my being, how fondly I remember school picnics at Kiwanis Park, summer days swimming at Valhalla, or the excitement of zooming down the old toboggan run at Burchfield Park. It’s a fondness that I have carried with me into my adulthood, along with a newfound appreciation for the many parks and recreation opportunities that our community has to offer. In my opinion, the Lansing River Trail and the area’s ever-expanding trail system is probably one of our region’s greatest public amenities, and my family and I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed its various phased expansions over the years. 

Us Dorks Need to Stick Together (and it Certainly Doesn’t Hurt to Have Thick Skin)

By the time I met Teresa in 1998, it had probably been at least six or seven years since I had last ridden a bike. I had lost a lot of my independence during the proceeding five-year battle for my eyesight, so I was itching to find any sort of physical activity to keep active while helping return my life to some sense of normalcy. As it’s not usually advisable for blind people to get behind the handlebars of their own ride (advice I can’t exactly say that I have strictly followed in the years since—again, foreshadowing for future blog posts to come!) it wasn’t long after Teresa and I had started dating that we decided to buy our first tandem bike from Holt Pro Cyclery as a more practical, safer option for re-introducing me to bicycling. If you are blind or visually impaired and don’t own a tandem bike, get on the internet and order one right now. Well, maybe start by first making sure that you have a “sighted” biking partner—a spouse, family member, friend, etc. who is willing to share in this activity with you. And just a word of warning for any of the blind guys out there who, like me, is considerably taller than your significant other: For whatever reason, when you, as the taller, stereotypical alpha male is seen riding on the back of a tandem, you tend to elicit a lot of strange looks from people, unfounded accusations of not pedaling (usually from old men who view this public shaming/questioning of your masculinity as some perverted form of flirtation with your wife), or even the occasional chorus of “dorks” from the neighborhood kids as you ride by them (whatever you little bastards, this “dork” has some pretty thick skin, so bring it on!)

Over the years, we have found new and different ways to access and enjoy the river trail. When we lived in Lansing we could cross over Pennsylvania Avenue at Pacific, and make our way through the neighborhood to Scott Woods Park behind the old Lansing General Hospital, now McLaren’s Penn Campus, and pick up the trail to Hawk Island Park. From there we could venture north along the edge of the former Sycamore Golf Course property to Potter Park Zoo, and either head west toward downtown Lansing and Old Town, or east to Municipal Field near Frandor, or continue down Kalamazoo all the way out to Michigan State University’s campus. When our first son Carson was born, we purchased a bike seat for the back of the tandem, and when our other son Ryan came along, we put him in the bike seat and moved Carson into one of those trailers that you pull behind your bike. This transformed our family of four into one giant mass of humanity rolling along down the river trail in all of our glory for everyone to behold.

When we moved back out to Holt, we would throw our bikes into the back of the truck and drive to McGuire Park after that particular section of trail had been added. Following the completion of the south extension and Sycamore Creek trail, we would park at Valhalla Park and take that new section of trail north out of Holt. When the boys got older and began to build up their endurance, we started doing 30-mile round trip bike rides out to MSU. Before the Ram Trail, we would leave from our house and head north along Washington Avenue just past Northrup to pick up that section of trail that cuts east-west across town, and later, when our neighborhood was finally connected with the main part of Holt, we would ride all the way over to Valhalla Park and on from there. We’d make a day of it, stopping at parks along the way whenever we felt like taking a break, and then when we would eventually get out to campus, we would lock our bikes up outside of the MSU Union building so we could walk across Grand River Avenue to grab lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings or El Azteco and do a little shopping at some of the stores in downtown East Lansing before refueling with some ice cream from the MSU Dairy Store for the return trip back home.

Needless to say, we have definitely gotten our money’s worth out of the trail system. We can’t wait until the proposed Holt to Mason section of trail is completed, and if we had our druthers, we would add paved trails around the perimeter of the Holt High School property (to eventually make it easier to connect up with Burchfield Park—hint, hint) and would try to convince the powers-that-be to extend the Ram Trail down Holt Road over into Dimondale. I know, I know, these seem like lofty, rather expensive upgrades for our little corner of the world. But in my opinion, you can’t put a price tag on walkable/bikeable/livable communities. It’s why my wife and I personally never hesitate to support a parks and recreation millage anytime one is on the ballot. It’s also why we continue to be pleasantly surprised by each new phase of the trail system expansion, and the quality of the amenities that are going into these new parks and public facilities.

How Exactly Did We Miss This?

After about 45 minutes of exploring the trails around Deadman’s Hill, we piled back into our truck and prepared to leave John Taylor Memorial Park. Pulling out onto Cedar Street, we turned right toward the round-about, and as we completed the big sweeping loop to head back north my wife Teresa noticed evidence of a new development off to her right. Upon closer examination it appeared to be an entrance to some sort of new park. We decided to take a closer look.

What we discovered was the new Esker Landing Park, the latest addition to Delhi Charter Township’s popular parks system. Situated at the northern end of Cedar Lake (I honestly never knew it was called that, I had only ever known it as the old gravel pit behind where Spartan Asphalt/Spartan Trucking used to be located), the 15-acre park features a fully accessible fishing dock and kayak/canoe launch, something that I have to admit, was definitely a first for me.

According to the Township’s news release from last September, development of Esker Landing Park was funded by a $300,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and a $180,000 contribution from the Parks Fund made possible by the township’s recently passed parks, trails and recreation millage. The Delhi Township Downtown Development Authority provided the remaining funding for the $1.18 million project.

Taking ADA Accessibility to the Next Level

Esker Landing Park accessible canoe/kayak launch site.

When it comes to retroactively fitting public facilities, and certainly as it pertains to new construction projects, it’s not that unusual for local municipalities to incorporate basic ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility standards. It’s the law after all, and besides that, it’s just the right thing to do. What is somewhat unusual, however, is the extent to which high-quality amenities are being provided to improve access and the overall recreational experience for individuals with disabilities, which speaking on behalf of the broader disability community, I have to say is a welcome and much appreciated trend that needs to be both recognized and applauded.

For instance, take all of these cool ADA accessible features that Delhi Charter Township included in the design of its new Esker Landing Park. Like I said, I had never heard of an accessible kayak-canoe launch, so this was a brand new concept to me. The basic idea is that there is a raised platform, designed to make it easier for individuals with disabilities to prepare their kayak or canoe for launch. The kayak or canoe sits in a sort of cradle, while the individual uses an adjustable transfer bench in combination with a series of stabilizing rails and/or overhead handlebars to swing themselves out over the cockpit to safely load themselves down into their watercraft. Once they are on board, several rollers built into the bottom of the cradle allow the individual to gently guide the kayak or canoe down into the water using handrails located on either side of the launch. This ingenious handrail and cradle roller system also makes it easy for individuals to return to shore by simply guiding the front of their watercraft in between the partly submerged rails until they are able to reach  the handrails to pull their kayak or canoe back up the launch.

All of this is great, no doubt, but there are a couple of things I would like to caution you about before you pack up your SUV or minivan and head over to Esker Landing Park.

First, it goes without saying, as an individual with a disability, or anyone for that matter, you should always have on a life vest or Personal Flotation Device (PFD) any time you are engaging in activities near the water. I have no idea what the drop off is there at the edge of the dock, or how deep it gets in the middle of the lake, but it doesn’t really matter. When it comes to water, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Path to accessible Kayak/Canoe launch.

Also, in addition to the dock being what I am guessing is several hundred feet away from the main parking area, I would point out that there is a considerable change in elevation from the parking lot down to the main part of the trail, and from the trail down the ramp to the main part of the dock. I point this out because hauling a kayak or canoe the distance down to the launch, and then back up the incline to the parking lot would be challenging for most able-bodied individuals, so it’s going to be even more difficult for those with disabilities to manage. I’m not saying it's not possible, but it might be better to have a plan, or to enlist some help from others to transport your kayak or canoe to and from the parking lot.

Credit Where Credit is Due

I can’t stress enough how great I think this newest addition to our parks system is! Being a resident of Holt, I would like to extend kudos to Delhi Charter Township, the Delhi Township Downtown Development Authority, Ingham County and any other organizations who had a hand in making this happen.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for its contribution to this installment, and for funding similarly exciting parks and recreation projects around the state. 

As a result of my initial internet research I learned of other accessible kayak and canoe launches being installed at parks in other communities around Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Traverse City and Midland, just to name a few. But there are also several examples right here in our own backyard. Last year Grand Ledge opened an accessible kayak launch at Jaycee Park, and there are plans to install a similar launch at Crandall Park in Charlotte. Delta Township recently received a grant for installing universally accessible canoe launches at their Delta Mills and West Willow Park locations. Many, if not all of these projects are receiving grant funding from the DNR, so kudos to them as well for making accessible parks and recreation opportunities and related amenities a priority! 

As an individual with a disability who bikes along these trails and kayaks in these parks, it’s this kind of stuff that helps to restore my faith in humanity. Too much? Fine. These types of partnerships and collaborative efforts with a renewed focus on accessibility remind me how grateful I am to be able to live and play here in the “Great Lakes State”.

Are you aware of other accessible amenities in the community that you think we should showcase? Email me at Chris@knappstrategic.com and let me know.