Although walkers, runners and bikers have been taking advantage of the newly completed River Valley Trail for several weeks now, organizers of the project gathered to celebrate its grand opening Saturday.

Dozens of community members from Niles, South Bend and Mishawaka joined Niles Township board members, the park commission and various other entities involved in the installation of a 3.3-mile trail through Niles Township. This is a project that Niles Township Park Commission Chairman Harry Thibault said has been in the works for quite some time.

“This is a historic day for Niles Township. There are people here who were here back in the 1980s when they were going to call a similar project the Blossomtime Trail,” Thibault said. “We didn’t have the money to do it back then, but they planted a seed, and here we are 30 years later and it’s finally happened.”

Thibault took time to thank a number of contributors to the project, including large entities who helped fund the approximately $842,000 expense.

“Our two main funding sources were Michigan Department of Transportation’s enhancement grant — that paid for almost half of it — and then the Michigan Department of Natural Resources paid for another $286,000, and left us with $141,000 that the township had to pay,” Thibault said, adding that large donations from area foundations left the township with far less expense than planned.

“We came up with all but $25,000,” Thibault said. “So we got a roughly $842,000 for $25,000 at the cost of the township.”

Niles Township Supervisor Jim Stover was excited to show the community the hard work put in by the township and the other organizations who collaborated on it.

“We’re starting a new chapter of recreation activity in the township. It’s going to be the responsibility of the ongoing park commissioners, the ongoing township boards, to make sure that this trail is maintained in the condition that we see it today. If we do nothing, this will not be like this in five or six years,” Stover said.

Members of similar projects such as South Bend’s In the Bend commented on the progress Niles Township’s portion of the trail has already made in connecting Niles to South Bend and Mishawaka, complimenting the already-installed safety instructions and crosswalk buttons.

Township trustee Richard Cooper beamed with pride as he said his own thank-yous.

“How do I see the trail? I see it as a place to exercise, a place to relax and to move along at your own place. It’s a place to meet friends and spend time with old friends. It’s a place for families to be active together and create great memories,” Cooper said. “I believe that this trail is a tremendous asset to our community. As future phases are completed this trail will connect states, municipalities, universities, parks and even shopping.”