Parks board approves letter of support for Leesburg trail grant application; discusses Chinworth and Syracuse projects

The Kosciusko County parks board voted unanimously to provide a letter of support for a Leesburg trail project application to the state trails grant (referred to in the meeting as "Indiana Trails") and discussed related Community Advancement Program (CAP) items, including LOI requirements for the Chinworth project and Syracuse Wawasee Trails.

Christina, a Leesburg town board member, described a plan to extend the town’s walkway system along Prairie Street across a railroad track to connect to Leesburg School, saying the extension would make it safer for children and provide year-round access to recreation for residents and seniors who use small mobility vehicles. “What we're wanting to do now is continue our walkway system along Prairie Street,” Christina told the board.

County staff and the state agency representatives told Christina that a letter of support from the county parks board would strengthen the application by demonstrating county backing and improve scoring in the competitive grant review. The state agency staff also said they were willing to work with applicants on paperwork even if details change after the Oct. 1 application deadline for the state trails program.

Board members noted that a letter of support for Chinworth previously submitted was acceptable but that a separate letter of intent (LOI) describing the project scope must still be prepared and approved by the county commissioners and council before application steps that require that approval. Board members agreed the LOI should describe a scope of work that meets CAP goals, such as creating or updating amenities, not only minor maintenance work.

The board also reviewed preliminary engineering and outreach for the Leesburg proposal: Craig Charlton, Plain Township trustee, and local property owners have been contacted, and engineers including Chad Salisbury were working on right-of-way and railroad coordination. The board encouraged the project team to consider a 10-foot width where feasible outside residential areas and to confirm crossings and right-of-way near the township firehouse.

Amy (staff) was asked to draft the parks board’s letter of support for the Leesburg application so the board could forward it to the county commissioners for formal approval. A board member made a motion to provide a letter of support for the described project; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Board members also discussed next steps for Chinworth (scope definition and involving the historical society) and Syracuse Wawasee Trails (preliminary phase funding and planning). Staff said they would arrange a meeting with the interested parties to define scope and gather the documents needed for LOI submission and any subsequent grant applications.