Andrew Clock was one of 15 to 20 volunteers who spent Saturday cutting plant overgrowth, hauling branches and clearing the way for the construction of Ypsilanti's new Water Street trail.

"What we're doing today is mostly clean up," Clock said, while taking a short break from working in the heat and humidity. "I was hoping for more (volunteers), but we're getting a lot of work done."

Clock said the gravel trail will run along side the Huron River, parallel to Huron Street. It will be 10 feet wide, about 800 feet long, and connect to an existing trail nearby.

Stefanie Stauffer, volunteer on the project and resident of Ypsilanti, said the area is a natural spot that offers an escape from city life.

"It's basically Ypsilanti's personal nature trail—you don't feel like you're in the city at all," she said. "This is an area where development is a big issue. The future of this (project) dictates how Ypsilanti will change for the better."

Bonnie Wessler, Ypsilanti resident and planning assistant for the city of Ypsilanti, also helped with Saturday's clean-up. She said the path eventually it will be a paved trail, rather than crushed concrete.

“The hope is it will be a good surface for people to ride their bikes on, walk their dogs on, take their wheelchairs on, strollers," Wessler said. "We're hoping we can make it more of an amenity than an eyesore."

Wessler said the project is being funded by a $2,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health, distributed to the city of Ypsilanti by the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, and the actual construction will be done by a company on a "fill-in basis."

Wessler said she expects construction to begin within the next few weeks and to be completed by sometime in November. Eventually, she said, she hopes the new trail will become part of the Border to Border trail.

Stauffer said one of their challenges is not only to clean up the area and build the trail, but also to change people's minds about the area so that residents will feel comfortable using the trail when it's complete.

Stauffer said there is a "stigma" connected to the area because some people feel it is unsafe. She added, "It's basically an industrial wasteland that nature took back."

Clock said he enjoys walking near that section of the river and wants more people to know it's there.

"Ann Arbor has all of those nice green areas and water access—we've got it here, we just haven't been using it."

To raise awareness, Clock said, walking groups will be led through the area next weekend during Ypsilanti's Heritage Festival. Guided walks are scheduled to take place 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Anyone interested in participating is asked to meet at the south end of Riverside Park, at the bottom of the steps leading to Michigan Avenue before the scheduled walk, and to wear comfortable shoes.

For more information or to volunteer at an upcoming clean up day, contact Andrew Clock, waterstreetparkypsi@gmail.com, or check it out on Facebook.

Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com, reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com, or follow her on Twitter.