Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Indiana Department of Natural Resources will petition the Kosciusko County Commissioners Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. to vacate a portion of CR 350N from CR 925E to the Whitley County line.
According to Jed Pearson, fisheries biologist, Division of Fish and Wildlife, the DNR wants to vacate the portion of road to "get rid of maintenance problems" on the road by Durham and Pisgah lakes and to restore the integrity of the wetlands.
"The problem has been there for a long time," said Pearson of the drainage and maintenance problems.
The current gravel road extends a distance of approximately 6,280 feet between Ind. 5 on the east to Kosciusko CR 925E on the west. About 2,330 feet lies within Whitley County and 3,950 feet is in Kosciusko County.
Nearly one-fourth of the portion of CR 350N within Kosciusko County lies within a sizeable wetland area and undergoes periodic flooding during heavy rain events and from beaver activity around the culvert under the road. As a result, according to information provided by Pearson, the road requires constant maintenance for which the public receives little benefit, and it is a safety hazard. The road also disrupts the natural integrity and value of the adjacent wetland.
The DNR will still provide access to the lake and access won't be restricted, he said.
Paperwork for the petition was filed Friday. Neighbors in the area of the portion of CR 350N to be vacated will be notified by letter.
The state owns the property on both sides of CR 350N and there are no abutting property owners, he said. County roads to the north and south of CR 350N will provide alternate routes. CR 350N comes to a T intersection at Ind. 5.
If Kosciusko County vacates their portion of CR 350N, Pearson said, they would "eventually like to see Whitley (County) do the same."
Once the road or the wetland portion of the road is vacated, the DNR will remove the section within the wetland in an "environmentally sensitive way and possibly use the excavated materials for construction of two cul-de-sacs on adjacent state-owned upland."
As for remonstrators, he said, "I can't see any issues that can't be addressed one way or the other."
