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Parks board recommends pay for bollards, release of retainage and maps next steps for Chinworth Trail
Summary
The board recommended payment for bollards and release of retainage for the near‑complete Chinworth Trail, discussed a bottoms‑up budget and formation of a 'Friends of the Trails' group, and laid out timelines for letter‑of‑intent and full grant applications to move the project toward design and construction.
The Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board moved to recommend payment for bollards and the release of retainage on the Chinworth Trail project and spent the remainder of the meeting reviewing next steps for longer‑term planning and mapping.
John, who addressed the board as the project presenter, outlined the first pay application for bollards and said keys and locks had been installed so board members could access them. He described materials and installation details and, when asked about the invoice, initially cited $3,850 (SEG 095–096) before reading a lower figure from the paperwork; the board discussed the numbers during the motion to recommend payment. "They are steel with a plastic sleeve yellow sleeve over them," John said when describing the bollards and locking caps. Member 5 moved to approve the change order and payment recommendation and the board voted in favor; Chair noted the recommendation would be forwarded to the county commissioners for final payment.
John also asked the board to release retainage, saying grass and striping appeared complete and that he saw no reason to hold retainage. Chair said commissioners wanted an inspection from Steve Moriarty before the commissioners take final action; Chair moved and the board approved recommending release of retainage with the understanding commissioners would seek Steve’s review.
Later in the meeting Troy Chinworth gave a project update and presented a working, "bottoms up" budget crafted with Aggie Self and with estimates provided by Versus Engineering. Troy said Steve has agreed to be the point person for a proposed "Friends of the Trails" volunteer group to help steward and promote the trail as planning continues. "It's what I call bottoms up budget," Troy said, describing the early, working nature of the estimates and asking the board for input on items that need to be pressure‑tested.
Alyssa summarized next steps for grant timelines and approvals: the board will report to the municipal council on Jan. 8 and to county commissioners on Jan. 13, and a CAP committee meeting at the end of the month will determine whether to open the full application; speakers noted June 30 as the usual municipal/county submission deadline for CAP grants should the project advance. Alyssa said she would resend the previously approved letter of support and help prepare required application materials.
Board members also discussed trail mapping and public information after a Winona Lake social media post celebrated the Chinworth extension. Members said an up‑to‑date master map for county and municipal trails does not appear to be centrally available and discussed coordinating maps among Warsaw, Winona Lake and Kosciusko County and checking online sources; Chair noted that Strava heat maps already show usage on the new extension.
The board’s votes on payment and retainage were recommendations to the county commissioners; final payment authority rests with the commissioners. Next steps are commissioner review and Steve Moriarty’s site inspection before retainage is finally released, and staff follow‑up on grant timelines and mapping coordination.
