By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Kosciusko County Park Board will soon host three meetings as it firms up its initial master plan.
While bike trails look to be a big part of the parks board, Park Board President Rob Bishop says it’s a misnomer to think the board is solely focused on bike trails.
“It’s definitely more than that,” Bishop said, “One of the things we’ve heard loud and clear is the desire to have what are called blue ways … there is a group last year, maybe the year before, that started kayaking down the Tippy River and we’ve heard from a number of people that they’d love to have a permanent place to put in a kayak and then take it out down south.”
He also noted that northwest Kosciusko County — south of Nappanee — is void of any parks.
They’re looking at an entire “enchilada” in terms of possibilities, he said.
Bishop also said they’ve determined there is a need and A desire to connect communities They plan to do that by starting new trails and connecting existing ones.
Bishop was quick to bring up what he calls one “pie in the sky visionary goal” — connecting the Pumpkinvine Trail in Goshen and the Knickleplate Trail in Rochester.
That would entail constructing a long trail through Kosciusko County.
Along with one other small gap, supporters envision the chance to eventually travel from Goshen to Indianapolis.
Bishop predicted the effort to fill in that section through Kosciusko County would be done in “bits and pieces” over many years.
One of the more simple ideas could connect Winona Lake and its abundance of trails to Pierceton.
The master plan will be completed later this year and then the park board will look to build upon that.
“One of the next steps for the parks board will be to let a contract for a trails master plan. That will include blue ways, and biking and hiking,” Bishop said.
Details on meeting locations and dates for public discussion of the master plan will be released soon. Stay tuned to News Now Warsaw for updates.
Since most grants are only partial, Bishop predicted the county will have to do some fundraising for future projects — similar to what has been done with Winona Lake’s Limitless Park and Warsaw’s revamped Center Lake Pavilion, which lined up support from Zimmer Biomet and is now known as Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion.
