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Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board heard about the Friends of the Trail during its regular meeting Thursday.
Steven Foegley talked with the board about the Friends of the Trail group, which is a group of volunteers and partners supporting the Parks and Recreation Board. Foegley stated that they can get together and participate in suggestions for ideas on improvements and maintenance of the trails.
“We’re trying to engage interest in our community, the neighborhood, neighbors and those that live along and use the trails,” stated Foegley. “Even in the middle of winter, the Chinworth Bridge Trailhead is still being used.”
While admitting it is still early in the year, Foegley noted it would be a good time to start looking at improvements for the parks and trails. He stated the main focus is the Chinworth Bridge Trail, and that community members are more than welcome to join the first meeting being held at the City-County Athletic Complex at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.
For more information on the Friends of the Trail, contact Board President Troy Turley at 574-303-7446, or Foegley at 574-265-5294.
Turley let the board know there are a lot of projects going on with the Chinworth Bridge Trailhead. Turley stated they had submitted the letters of intent to the Community Amenities Program (CAP), and received a favorable response from the CAP committee.
Turley stated he and Board Member Aggie Sweeney went before the county commissioners to solicit the transfer of the Chinworth Bridge from the Kosciusko County Historical Society to the commissioners.
Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe stated with the timeline given to her, the board would be looking at the end of March to turn in any grant applications.
Roe also stated they would like to maximize the amount they would receive from the CAP Committee, but understands it would be based on what they are eligible for.
Roe and Zach Dripps, Michiana Area Council of Governments, had a Zoom call with Tracey Ford, director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails. Ford, according to Roe, has “taken the bull by the horns, is learning about trails … and is waiting with bated breath on the Indiana Trails Program on the destiny of the grant application.” This grant would be for the Syracuse-Wawasee trails extension.
Roe let the board know that as of Jan. 1, the K21 Health Foundation and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation are asking for letters of intent for grants, and they should get a hold of Jennifer Stewart at K21.
Board member Robert Bishop had received approval from the county commissioners to fundraise for the pre-planning of the Winona Lake to Pierceton trail. After talking with MACOG, they estimated that the entire project would cost about $40,000.
Sweeney piggy-backed off of Bishop, talking about the Winona Lake to Pierceton Acceleration project.
“We received two donor restricted grants, and they were put into the special interest, Friends of the Trail fund,” said Sweeney. “Now that we have the commissioners approval to do this project, we want to recommend to the Community Foundation that $5,000 be transferred from the Friends of the Trail Special Interest fund, to the county for the Parks and Recreation Donation Fund.”
This was approved.
The next meeting of the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board will be 1 p.m. Thursday, March 12.
