The Kosciusko County Department of Parks and Recreation Board opened bids for the Chinworth Trail Extension Project at a meeting at the Old Courthouse Thursday.
The board reviewed five bids for the Chinworth Trail extension. The bids submitted were as follows: R. Yoder Construction, $1,010,157; Ben Brown, $1,287,617; Pulver Asphalt Paving, $1,059,941; G Squared Development, $978,971.62; and Niblock Excavating, $970,247.
The board will assess the bids further, ensuring all forms, bonds and alternates are reviewed before making a recommendation at the next meeting.
Construction for the Chinworth Trail extension is expected to begin in late March 2025, depending on weather conditions.
The board discussed the need for safe pedestrian and cyclist crossings on U.S. 30 as part of the project. A current, ongoing study, ProPEL U.S. 30, aims to identify segments of U.S. 30 that require crossings and evaluate recommendations for safe passageways, particularly in high-traffic areas, which will be important when creating safe trails.
The board encouraged the community to leave comments on the study stating the need for safe non-vehicle crossing. The board said the county is divided into multiple segments and each segment would have multiple crossings. Board recommended looking at the proposals for crossings because in some places there are long stretches with no crossings.
The deadline to provide comments is Dec. 13.
Board members also mentioned the ongoing draft of the Trails Master Plan, which will include digital updates to be reviewed in December. Board Vice President Aggie Sweeney recommended seeking community input in the trail development process before updating the plan. She suggested meeting with community leaders, such as K21 Health Foundation, the Community Foundation and local elected officials, to review plans and gather feedback before final decisions are made.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the 2025 meeting schedule with a correction to the June date from June 29 to June 19.
• Was reminded by John Nelson with Triad Associates Inc. of a document he sent it about an idea for "railroad banking," buying railroad in advance.
• Heard about a recent DNR Next Level Trails meeting that discussed its vision for a 10-year plan.
A special meeting is scheduled to finalize recommendations for the project at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 27 in the Old Courtroom, 121 N. Lake St. The board will present its recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners Dec. 3.