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Elkhart County accepts $25,000 for log cabin restoration and $79,000 IDNR grant for riverbank work
Summary
The board approved acceptance of a $25,000 gift from the Community Foundation of Elkhart County for restoration of a dismantled 1833 log cabin and accepted a $79,000 grant from IDNR to stabilize the riverbank at 4-acre Treasure Island County Park; staff will resubmit a $50,000 Michelin Brown fund grant application for the cabin project.
Elkhart County Parks on Dec. 8 secured funding and permission to seek additional grants for two small preservation and stabilization projects.
Rhonda Decare of Elkhart County Parks asked commissioners to accept a $25,000 gift from the Community Foundation of Elkhart County to support restoration of an 1833 log cabin that has been dismantled and is currently in storage. Decare said staff will use the funds as part of a broader restoration effort and requested permission to resubmit a Michelin Brown fund application seeking $50,000; Decare said last year—s Michelin Brown request was denied but staff were "highly encouraged to come back this year."
Decare also requested permission to accept a $79,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) LARE fund to perform riverbank stabilization at the 4-acre Treasure Island County Park on the St. Joseph River. She described erosion from sediment as shrinking the park and said the project would use rock and native plantings to stabilize the bank. Commissioners asked staff to confirm park acreage and noted county guidance generally prefers 50 to 75 acres for regional parks; staff confirmed Treasure Island is 4 acres and that the county has smaller neighborhood parks in its inventory.
The board approved accepting the gift and the IDNR grant and granted permission to resubmit the Michelin Brown fund application. No construction timelines or contracts were presented at the meeting; staff indicated project planning and coordination with grant terms would follow.
