County Parks Board Moving Forward With Master Plan
County Parks Board Moving Forward With Master Plan
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
County Parks Board Moving Forward With Master PlanOne of the primary orders of business initially of the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board, which was created this year, is to develop a master plan.
Thursday, the Board approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) to help develop that plan.
And then later in the two-hour meeting, the Board approved to do Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP) project worksheets for a blueway and greenway master plan, as well as a project worksheet for a “specific, low-hanging” trail project in the county, as presented by HELP Community Coordinator Amy Roe.
After MACOG Executive Director James Turnwald gave an overview of the government agency, Donny Ritsema, senior community development planner with MACOG, gave a presentation to the Board on developing a master plan.
Ritsema said MACOG provides technical planning services to help the communities in Elkhart, Marshall, St. Joe and Kosciusko counties plan for the future. He said they’ve helped a number of communities put together comprehensive plans.
“Now, more relevant, is our experience in doing parks master plans. So we’ve helped a couple of our rural, smaller communities such as Bristol, Bremen and, here recently, Wakarusa,” he said, adding that they’ve helped update existing plans and create new plans.
Marshall County didn’t have a parks board until one was created in 2020 by the commissioners there. “So we do have experience working with the county to create a new park master plan to guide vision and direction for the newly established parks board, so it’s very applicable for Kosciusko County’s with the new park board,” Ritsema said.
He went through the guidelines of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the seven chapters that the IDNR recommends a plan be outlined in: an introduction, existing conditions, existing facilities, ADA compliance and accessibility, public participation, a needs analysis and an action program.
“But you’re like, ‘But we don’t have any parks potentially under the county’s ownership.’ Not a problem. Just as I was saying in Marshall County’s, to some degree, they did have two park plans deeded to them, but they didn’t know what to do with it so they needed our assistance of establishing a vision and a mission for the parks board. One thing that was unique for them that we will carry over for Kosciusko is, during the needs analysis, there’s a particular one called a gap analysis, so we will look at where are there existing parks in the number of communities and where are there not so we can build access and connectivity, be it through parks and trails, etc.,” he said.
An important part of any planning is public engagement, Ritsema said. That will be a part of the county parks’ master plan process, as well as a steering committee will be created. The Board later approved for Vice President Troy Turley and member Matt Metzger to lead a subcommittee to form a steering committee.
Ritsema said the master plan would be a six-month process. The first month is to look at existing conditions, followed by a vision and needs analysis in month two; gap and needs analysis; strategies and priorities; public review and then approval in month six.
“As far as deadlines, milestones, go, the first draft for the parks master plan is Nov. 15. We have been advised by IDNR that this was a newly revised due date so they understand that this in the last couple of months this date was changed, that they are still accepting first-draft plans by Jan. 15,” he said, but they are going to make sure that the first-draft plan is completed as much as possible by Nov. 15. The final plan is ultimately due April 15.
“This timeline really only applies to communities or entities who are seeking to apply for a Land & Water Conservation Fund within that same grant year. So if the county wanted to pursue a Land & Water Conservation Fund, that’s when the Nov. 15, April 15 deadlines come into play because you’ve got to have a plan approved in that same year that you want to apply for a grant,” Ritsema explained. “However, if you are not wanting to apply for a grant, then the plan deadline is at any time that we get it completed and get it uploaded.”
Metzger asked if the Board needed funding to start the planning or what does it take to get the planning started. Turnwald said they presented, in advance of the meeting, an MOU that detailed the scope of the planning.
“The cost of that is zero dollars. So for us to do this work, we would ask you to give us zero dollars, and we will do that work with you. We’re offering this plan at the reduced cost of free,” Turnwald said. “MACOG has available funding to be able to offer this plan to you at zero dollars. It’s not necessarily something we do in all cases with all of our technical assistance like this, but in this instance, we have money available that all we are wanting is, today, we’re asking for the Board’s approval to move into that agreement so that we can begin working with you.”
Metzger then asked if they had a template for the master plan. Turnwald said the DNR has a template, but MACOG will help the Parks Board write the plan.
Board member Mike Cusick asked about a trails plan as part of the master plan. Ritsema said that while trails is part of parks and outdoor recreation, he recommended that a master trails plan might be a separate element from the parks master plan. However, trails will be incorporated into the parks master plan.
After the Board approved the MOU with MACOG, organizations that have connections to parks and recreation gave short presentations on what they do.
Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Cori Humes talked about the CVB. Greg Demopoulos talked about the Ride+Walk Advisory Committee and Kosciusko Cycling Velo. Winona Lake Park Director Holly Hummitch discussed the Limitless Park and briefly on the Winona trails. Jody Claypool talked about Tippy River Adventures and Paddlers For Conservation. Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Executive Director Erlene Yentes talked about plans to continue the Conklin Bay trail down to Wawasee Middle School to tentatively meet up with the North Webster planned trail.
After explaining HELP - which is a grant and program through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs - Roe said they’re in stage three of the program and they have chosen trails as some of the county’s projects.
“Yesterday, I met with the county community team and they have tasked me today to ask you if you would potentially consider working with us ... to fill out project worksheets related to two items ... that we potentially can consider for funding, for that $1 million match and also the $1.2 million (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. Not all of that is going to you, but the projects that they felt like would be ones that they would want to hear is a blueway and a greenway master plan. That’s one of the project worksheets that they would like to have submitted,” Roe said.
The other project worksheet is “they would like to look at a specific low-hanging trail project in the county that we could do through the HELP program,” Roe said.
She said the project worksheets would be something MACOG and the county auditor would have to assist with because the funding that is the match grant is a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-fund source.
She said there are some restrictions and national objectives. One is that the area that is funded has to be in an area that is 51% or higher low to moderate income. That restriction likely would exclude the Warsaw and Winona Lake areas, she said.
Board President Rob Bishop asked about the low-hanging project needing to be a “shovel-ready” one. Roe said they’d need to figure out a project for that and the deadline to get the project worksheets completed is Oct. 1.
The Parks Board eventually decided that Cusick and Board member Aggie Sweeney would serve on a subcommittee to help complete the project worksheets. Claypool and Demopoulos also will serve on that subcommittee.
The next County Parks Board meeting is 1 p.m. Oct. 20.
