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Friends of the Trail gave updates on the Chinworth Park Trailhead during the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board meeting Thursday.
Steve Foegley, with the Friends of the Trails, stated that the work day on April 25 at the Chinworth Bridge Trailhead went well. Dugan Julian, Northeast Regional Specialist for Indiana at the Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, who is the local expert on invasive species, led work crews on what to do.
“The County Highway Department came out with their brush cutters and mowed much of the bank back,” said Foegley. “This was an incredible savings of time and effort for our crew.”
Foegley noted that this work had opened the view of the river and bridge, which he was very pleased with. He thanked Steve Moriarty, Kosciusko County Highway Department superintendent, for disposing of the significant amount of brush that was created after the mowing.
He told the board that they will probably do a follow-up late summer to early fall and deal with anymore invasives that “pop up.”
The toilet being placed at the trailhead and mowing has been done. Foegley stated, “It looks good.” He noted that the flower beds, signage and work being done down at the pavilion will call for another work day in early to late August.
Foegley brought up some depressions along the trail between Zimmer Road and the Chinworth Trail, to which Robert Bishop, board member, noted that reaching out the city, since they were in charge of grounds maintenance before, would be a good idea.
In other business:
• County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker updated the board that there has been another donation of $3,000 from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation. With the money, it went into another account to help take care of ground maintenance. The fund currently holds $28,100.
• The board approved an invoice for the use of a port-a-toilet out at Chinworth Bridge for $750.
• Troy Turley, board president, shared that a member of the Chinworth family had shared the history of the bridge and will be recreating a wooden, hanging sign that used to be on the bridge. He also noted that the Chinworth Trail Park Trailhead work is still ongoing and he will have more information to share in either the June or July meeting.
The next meeting of the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation board will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 11.
