Gov. Mitch Daniels gathered Wednesday with city officials, county residents and business leaders to celebrate the completion of a 1/2-mile asphalt and raised wooden boardwalk trail in Warsaw.
The second phase of the Beyer Farm trail is part of the Lake City Greenway.The trail is located around the west and south sides of Kosciusko Community Hospital and connects the original Beyer Farm Trail to Hodges subdivision at Lindberg Drive. It also connects to Meadowbrook subdivision at Harrison Street.
Daniels discussed the importance of trails in Indiana that he said promote an active lifestyle and wellness.
"Today reminds us of what an economic model Warsaw is by completing a project that was achieved by community leadership," Daniels said.
He said his goal is to create trails so that every Hoosier lives within 15 minutes of a trail.
"The trail is more than a quality of life, it is an economic success that brings amenities to Warsaw that makes it a great place to live and attracts business," Daniels said.
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the second phase was completed by a lot of community support. He said he was glad the governor could attend the ceremony.
"It always means good things are happening in Warsaw when the governor comes to visit," Wiggins said.
The second phase of the Beyer Farm Trail began construction in 2003 and completes the fourth segment of the Lake City Greenway.
The Lake City Greenway includes the Chinworth Bridge Trail that connects the City- County Athletic Complex to Warsaw with a focus on the historic Chinworth Bridge. The Heritage Trail in Winona Lake features artwork that interprets attributes of the heritage of Winona Lake.
The second phase of the Beyer Farm Trail provides a link to Pike Lake Park Beach and Campground and the KCH campus.
It is a half-mile trail which adds to approximately five miles of completed multi-use trails for bicycling, walking, jogging, running and rollerblading.
The second phase of the Beyer Farm Trail puts into action the mission of the Lake City Greenway by connecting people to the amenities within the community, according to Warsaw Community Development Coordinator Gisele Cox.
Portions of the overall trail system travel over rehabilitated historic bridges, asphalt trails, raised wooden boardwalks through natural wetland areas and go along a canal and woodland areas.
The second phase of the project was completed by A&Z Engineering, Niblock Excavating & Asphalt and D&C Fence.
The first phase of Beyer Farm Trail was completed in July 2003 and connects Kosciusko Community Hospital complex with Pike Lake Park and Beach with a focus on education and preservation of natural wetlands.
The 0.75-mile trail overlooks the southeast side of Pike Lake. It includes a boardwalk through the wetlands and an observation deck overlooking the wetlands.
The second phase of the Beyer Farm Trail was made possible through the vision of the Lake City Greenway Steering Committee and Lake City Greenway's community partners: Bertsch Family, City of Warsaw and Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust.
Other contributors were Kosciusko Board of Realtors, KCH, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Kosciusko County Visitors Bureau, Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation, NIPSCO, Trailhouse and Warsaw United Pentecostal Church.
