NACS board donates Union Chapel Trail right-of-way to Allen County; Fort Wayne Trails pledges $25,000 for student sidewalk
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Summary
The board approved donating a land right-of-way to Allen County for the Union Chapel Trail after Fort Wayne Trails agreed to grant the district $25,000 toward constructing a sidewalk and crosswalk connection on district property.
Northwest Allen County Schools trustees approved donating a right-of-way for the Union Chapel Trail to the Allen County Highway Department and accepted a $25,000 allotment from Fort Wayne Trails to help fund a sidewalk connection to the district’s Maple Creek entrance.
Superintendent Wayne Barker told trustees he had discussed the trail alignment and student safety concerns with Fort Wayne Trails and the Allen County Highway Department. As a result, Fort Wayne Trails’ executive director, Kent Castleman, took a proposal to his board to allocate $25,000 to Northwest Allen County Schools for construction of a sidewalk on the east side of the Maple Creek entrance to connect to a planned trail crosswalk. Barker said the Fort Wayne Trails board approved the allotment and that the $25,000 would be payable to the district at the start of sidewalk construction.
The district will act as project manager for the sidewalk because the work would be on district property. At the meeting the board moved and approved a resolution to donate the right-of-way to Allen County; the motion carried on a voice vote. Superintendent Barker said absent board member Darren Vogt contacted him earlier and asked that his support for the donation be recorded.
Why it matters
Board action clears a long-discussed procedural step that allows Allen County to proceed with trail planning. The $25,000 from Fort Wayne Trails is intended to fund a sidewalk segment that district staff say will improve safe pedestrian connections between the trail and school crosswalks.
Trustee discussion and vote
After the presentation by Barker and the acknowledgment that Kent Castleman and Laura Dorsett (Allen County Highway Department) were present, a trustee moved to approve the donation and a second was recorded. The board approved the donation by voice vote; trustees spoke in favor and the motion passed.
Next steps
Allen County will hold responsibility for the trail right-of-way after the donation closes. Northwest Allen County Schools will manage the sidewalk construction on district property when the project is ready, and the Fort Wayne Trails board’s $25,000 payment will be made at the start of that work.
