IRON MOUNTAIN — The preliminary score on a grant application for an expanded mountain bike trail system on the east side of Iron Mountain is “fairly low” but modifications can be made to gain additional points, said City Manager Jordan Stanchina.

“There’s still time to update the narrative,” Stanchina told the city council Monday.

The city in April filed an application for a $183,200 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, with the non-profit Dickinson Trail Network obligated for a $64,000 match. The city has committed $15,000 worth of in-kind work through site development of the parking lot and other amenities.

The MNRTF Board makes final grant recommendations in December before they go to the state legislature for approval.

The proposed Pewabic Hill trail system includes about 6 miles of public trails on city property east of Park Avenue. It would link to DTN’s Millie Hill Trailhead, a 5-mile system just west of Park Avenue.

Stanchina said he’ll continue to work with Chad Susott, DTN president, on strategies to improve the score. Some areas where the preliminary review fell short included park visibility, sustainable design and natural resource based recreation opportunities.

In other action, the council:

— Scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Oct. 4 to offer a lease to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to establish and maintain a multi-use trail that would route snowmobiles and ORVs through undeveloped Addison Street. The change would remove ORV traffic along Milwaukee Avenue and Lehman Avenue, providing access to an old railroad grade. The city favors the request, which was initiated through the DNR in cooperation with a private landowner. “It’s going to take (traffic) from the side of the road and put it on a trail,” Stanchina said.

— Accepted terms of a $4,000 grant from DTE Energy Foundation for tree planting. The money will be helpful in the Iron Mountain Tree Board’s program of repopulating street right-of-ways with new trees, Stanchina said. The local match is $9,300, mostly for personnel and equipment. If the trees are balled and burlapped, the reimbursement is up to $150 each.

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-3500 ext. 226 or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.