Minutes - June 27, 2018
NOBLE COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD
MINUTES OF THE JUNE 27, 2018 MEETING
Present: Ray Scott, Scott Allen, John Metzger.
Guests: Matt Getts, KPC Media
The June 27, 2018 meeting of the Noble County Parks and Recreation Board was called to order by President Ray Scott at 10:00 AM.
The Minutes of the May 23, 2018 meeting were approved as corrected. Date of Fishing Line 5k was incorrect; it should be April 28, 2018. Corrected misspelling.
Old Business:
Current 5-Year Parks Master Plan – No new action items from the Master Plan were determined.
Website Review – The website is working well. Scott Allen is keeping items up to date. Managers for the Take A Stroll Saturday events need to provide information for their activity two weeks prior to the event to Scott, including date, time, location, partnering organization information, and other details for the event.
To clarify, Scott Allen oversees the website. Steve Hook oversees the map. Steve can monitor the number of visitors to the map. But, with the free plan for the Noble County Parks website, it is not possible to track the number of visitors. This feature is available only to paid plans.
“Take a Stroll” Program – Dates for the 2018 Take A Stroll Saturdays are as follows:
June 2, 9:00 AM – Fishing Line Trail. The June event was attended by six people, though half of those arrived at the wrong location and walked alone. However, as the intent is to get people out on the trail, we consider these individuals as participants. One individual from Avilla did not know the Fishing Line Trail existed until he read about our event in the newspaper.
July 28, 9:00 AM – Canoeing/Kayaking Event on Elkhart River. In partnership with West Lakes Association. Jim Haddock is in charge. One outstanding question is where the event will take place. This information needs to be determined before the press release is sent out on July 16.
August 25, 1:30 PM – Bixler Lake Trail. In partnership with Kendallville Parks Department. A barbecue cookoff will follow. Jim Haddock is in charge. Matt Getz would like to write a more detailed article in conjunction with this event to discuss the concept for Take-A-Stroll Saturday. Matt also asked if we intended to use the size of the event to share information at a table or via a hardcopy map with a large audience. We will consider what we can do and may speak to Steve Hook about a large format print out of the recreational facilities map.
September 22, 9:00 AM – Chain O Lakes State Park. In partnership with Indiana Department of Natural Resources and National Public Lands Day. Free park admittance. Doug Keenan is in charge.
Ligonier Strawberry Valley Greenway – The first phase of the trail is complete. Ligonier will proceed with the second phase along the Elkhart River from Bridge Street and Martin Street as soon as bids come in. The third phase is a walking trail around Pettit Park.
Noble Trails program – Noble Trails has paved more asphalt. The section between Angling Road and Sawyer Road is paved, and between CR 600 W and CR 800 N is paved. Curb ramps need to be constructed before the trail is officially open to the public.
Updates to 5-Year Parks Master Plan – Kenneth Hughes was not able to attend the meeting. We understand that the County Plan was delayed by Kendallville’s inclusion in the plan. We need to coordinate with him regarding the schedule to make sure we can get this accomplished the new plan by the deadline.
Ligonier Area Representative – We still have no interested people in the Ligonier or Cromwell area. Mary Wysong, County Council, may be able to provide suggestions. We will speak with her too.
Meeting adjourned at 10:30 AM.
Next meeting – Wednesday, July 25 2018 at 10:00 AM at the Noble County Public Library.
Minutes prepared by Scott Allen