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Hutchins family presses county for timeline and accountability on Jake’s Woods park project
Summary
A Hutchins family descendant told commissioners April 15 the Jake’s Woods park project is behind schedule and asked the county either to complete the intended memorial and park work or return land to the family. County staff described grant requirements and said a one-acre parcel must be surveyed and cleared before site work can proceed.
A descendant of Jacob P. Hutchins urged the Jones County Board of Commissioners on April 15 to either complete the Jake’s Woods park development as originally intended or return portions of the property to the family, citing missed deadlines and a desire to preserve family legacy.
The descendant, who identified himself as a sixth great-grandson of Jacob P. Hutchins, described family concern that the county has not advanced the project and asked for a clear timeline, more accountability and a measure of family ownership to remain part of the site’s future commemoration. The speaker said the family had intended a legacy use for the land and asked the county either to proceed or to allow the family alternative options.
“We haven’t done anything as what we were told,” the speaker said, describing delays and extensions in project milestones and saying some family members want to retain one or two acres in the family’s name. He asked the commission for a firm commitment and for a mechanism to track progress rather than “hypotheticals.”
A county official (staff) replied that the county acquired two parcels, including a one-acre parcel on Green Settlement Road, and that the next step is to clear the one-acre lot so crews can access the pair of parcels that make up Jake’s Woods. The staff member said the one-acre parcel will provide parking, a pavilion and restrooms and emphasized the county is subject to grant compliance reporting.
“The next step is to clear that 1 acre, so that we can access the the, the 2 parcels that are side by side there,” the staff member said, noting a survey had been planned earlier and the timeline is behind schedule. The staff member added the county must submit periodic reports to the state as part of the grant compliance process.
Commissioners and staff acknowledged the project has progressed more slowly than intended. One commissioner told the family the board’s intent was to preserve the Hutchins legacy and that the county’s legal ownership was required to secure a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant that funded initial work; that legal requirement had limited earlier options for retaining family title while using grant funds.
Staff also described site issues encountered during preparations, including illegal dumping on the access parcel and the need for a survey and clearing work before public-works crews can install parking and other infrastructure. The county said it will provide a timeline and work with the family to increase transparency; no final decision to return land to the family or to change the project scope was made at the meeting.
Ending
Commissioners asked staff to send the project timeline and milestones to the family and to continue grant compliance work; the board said it intends to preserve Jacob P. Hutchins’s legacy, but concrete completion dates remain pending pending survey and clearing work.
