Ribbon Cutting Held For Krebs Trailhead Park In Warsaw
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Groundbreaking and construction on the park began in mid-June. The park will meet the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians and park users, according to Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer.
The trailhead park features restrooms, a drinking fountain, bicycle parking, a bicycle repair station provided by Warsaw Rotary, benches, a picnic shelter, trail information displays and vehicle parking. Sidewalks run through the park, and bicycle markings will be replaced on the street.
These bicycle and pedestrian facilities run south along McKinley Street and will connect to Winona Lake’s Heritage Trail.
“This has been the culmination of a lot of work and will be a focus of bike activity for bike traffic into Winona Lake onto the Heritage Trail and into the village,” Thallemer said.
Plans are to eventually connect the bike trail to Market Street and out to the Chinworth Trail that will complete the backbone of the trail system.
Thallemer said the park will improve the quality of life in the community.
“This is not just a master plan that has a line on it. This is a three-dimensional work of art and beautiful trailhead park that connects Warsaw and Winona Lake,” Thallemer said.
Financial sponsors included OrthoWorx, which donated $50,000. Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission provided $20,000 for the restrooms.
Brad Bishop, OrthoWorx executive director, said the organization was pleased to donate funds toward the park.
“It’s no longer enough to have just good jobs, young people make their decisions about where they are going to live based on the quality of life in a community,” Bishop said.
He said outdoor recreation is important as well as the community supporting projects such as the park.
Dave Taylor, Kosciusko County CRV Commission, said the park will bring tourism to the community.
Stacy Young, Warsaw-Winona Lake Ride-Walk advisory committee chair, thanked the community for supporting the project.
No tax dollars were spent towards the project.
“A project like this has a beginning like every project and we would not be standing here today if the Krebs family had not jumped on board and shared the vision for this property, community and neighborhood,” Young said.
Eddie and Anita Krebs and their family donated the land for the site; NIPSCO donated trees; Indiana American Water donated water service for the site; and Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern Railroad reconstructed a segment of the historical Winona Interurban Railway on the site.
Krebs Trailhead Park is on an abandoned corridor of the Winona Interurban Railway. In 1903 the first bricks were laid and the Winona Interurban trolley car system was completed in Warsaw.
The track ran down Center Street to an area between Maple and Bronson streets where passing tracks were installed. The track continued east to McKinley Street.
Brady Peters, chief engineer for Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern Railroad, had a particular interest in the project as a railroad history buff.
Peters approached the city about getting involved and using rail crews to build a replica rail segment on the site of the historic Winona Interurban Railway that ran through the land where the park currently sits. The goal is to add historical railroad signals at each end of the rail segment.
“This is a phenomenal project to pass onto future generations,” Peters said.
Butt & Timmons Construction was awarded the bid to build the restrooms. The City of Warsaw’s Public Works Department participated by completing concrete sidewalks, curbing and parking. They also provided site preparation and grading, seeding, and removed the old railroad rails from the property.
The City of Warsaw’s parks and recreation department participated by constructing the picnic shelter, installing electrical work and lighting, and installing site furnishings.
Other staff from the city’s planning and parks department collaborated to provide design work, engineering and project oversight.
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Groundbreaking and construction on the park began in mid-June. The park will meet the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians and park users, according to Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer.
The trailhead park features restrooms, a drinking fountain, bicycle parking, a bicycle repair station provided by Warsaw Rotary, benches, a picnic shelter, trail information displays and vehicle parking. Sidewalks run through the park, and bicycle markings will be replaced on the street.
These bicycle and pedestrian facilities run south along McKinley Street and will connect to Winona Lake’s Heritage Trail.
“This has been the culmination of a lot of work and will be a focus of bike activity for bike traffic into Winona Lake onto the Heritage Trail and into the village,” Thallemer said.
Plans are to eventually connect the bike trail to Market Street and out to the Chinworth Trail that will complete the backbone of the trail system.
Thallemer said the park will improve the quality of life in the community.
“This is not just a master plan that has a line on it. This is a three-dimensional work of art and beautiful trailhead park that connects Warsaw and Winona Lake,” Thallemer said.
Financial sponsors included OrthoWorx, which donated $50,000. Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission provided $20,000 for the restrooms.
Brad Bishop, OrthoWorx executive director, said the organization was pleased to donate funds toward the park.
“It’s no longer enough to have just good jobs, young people make their decisions about where they are going to live based on the quality of life in a community,” Bishop said.
He said outdoor recreation is important as well as the community supporting projects such as the park.
Dave Taylor, Kosciusko County CRV Commission, said the park will bring tourism to the community.
Stacy Young, Warsaw-Winona Lake Ride-Walk advisory committee chair, thanked the community for supporting the project.
No tax dollars were spent towards the project.
“A project like this has a beginning like every project and we would not be standing here today if the Krebs family had not jumped on board and shared the vision for this property, community and neighborhood,” Young said.
Eddie and Anita Krebs and their family donated the land for the site; NIPSCO donated trees; Indiana American Water donated water service for the site; and Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern Railroad reconstructed a segment of the historical Winona Interurban Railway on the site.
Krebs Trailhead Park is on an abandoned corridor of the Winona Interurban Railway. In 1903 the first bricks were laid and the Winona Interurban trolley car system was completed in Warsaw.
The track ran down Center Street to an area between Maple and Bronson streets where passing tracks were installed. The track continued east to McKinley Street.
Brady Peters, chief engineer for Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern Railroad, had a particular interest in the project as a railroad history buff.
Peters approached the city about getting involved and using rail crews to build a replica rail segment on the site of the historic Winona Interurban Railway that ran through the land where the park currently sits. The goal is to add historical railroad signals at each end of the rail segment.
“This is a phenomenal project to pass onto future generations,” Peters said.
Butt & Timmons Construction was awarded the bid to build the restrooms. The City of Warsaw’s Public Works Department participated by completing concrete sidewalks, curbing and parking. They also provided site preparation and grading, seeding, and removed the old railroad rails from the property.
The City of Warsaw’s parks and recreation department participated by constructing the picnic shelter, installing electrical work and lighting, and installing site furnishings.
Other staff from the city’s planning and parks department collaborated to provide design work, engineering and project oversight.
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