Spring Summit brings Noble stakeholders together
The Noble County Parks and Recreation Board hosted its Spring Summit at Augusta Hills Learning, Recreation and Community Center on April 26th. More than 30 stakeholders in local outdoor recreation attended the event, or provided written updates to share. The summit was organized and hosted by the Noble County Parks and Recreation Board of Directors. It was the first of two summits scheduled to occur in 2023.
History
The Noble County Parks & Recreation Department hosted the first county-wide summit in 2019. It was intended to be an annual event, however the COVID-19 pandemic caused events in 2020 and 2021 to be cancelled. A successful summit returned in 2022. During the second installment, attendees representing Noble County parks, festivals, outdoor educators, and others engaged in or supporting outdoor recreation in Noble County came together. The group recommended that the event take place twice each year, in the spring and fall.
The Spring 2023 Summit focused on collaboration and new initiatives. Participants enjoyed the opportunity to network, we well as light refreshments and door prize entries, before Noble County Parks President Jeff Boyle welcomed them. Boyle encouraged active participation and collaboration among stakeholders as he kicked off the summit.
Julie Gerver, Facility Manager at Augusta Hills, provided a brief overview of the history, services, programs, and rental opportunities available at the community center, located about two miles west of Albion. This was followed by a brief facility tour.
Stakeholders in attendance provided updates and shared about opportunities for collaboration, as well as highlighted new initiatives. They included:
ACRES Land Trust
Albion Parks Department
Albion STAR Team
Avilla Parks Department (written report only)
Chain O’Lakes State Park
City of Ligonier
Ligonier Parks Department
Elkhart Township / Wawaka Community Park
Community Foundation of Noble County
Blue Fox Farms LLC / Strand Nursey
Future Ligonier Alliance
Gene Stratton Porter State Historic Site
Great Indiana Golf
LaOtto Community Park
Ligonier Marshmallow Festival
Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
Metzger Dairy Inc.
Mid-America Windmill Museum
Noble County Plan Commission
Noble County GIS
Noble Trails
Stone's Trace Historical Society
Triad Associates, Inc.
Visit Noble County
Grace Caswell, a member of the Noble County Parks Board and Executive Director of Visit Noble County, opened the floor to hear from stakeholders about their goals and desires around more kayaking and water-based activities. Caswell then transitioned to a more detailed discussion about the exciting potential for adding self-service kayak kiosks at strategic places around Noble County. Stakeholders asked for more information, a request to be followed up by the Noble County Parks Board at their meeting on May 24 at 6:30 PM.
During breakout sessions, round table conversations were facilitated by Scott Allen, a Noble County Parks Board member. Those discussions covered a variety of topics, including:
Teen and young adult engagement in programs and festivals
Contractor and engineering leads to take on large and small projects in parks and outdoor spaces
Tree protection and replacement strategies
Data collection and survey tools
Updates to county-wide GIS asset maps
Building teams and leagues for children, youth, and adult sports
Volunteer recruitment
Water trails
Wayfinding signs
Park advocacy
Transportation for sports and leisure travelers (including golfers)
Dog parks in Noble communities
Maximizing natural resources with nature programs, classes, and workshops
Nature playgrounds, obstacles courses, and natural environments
Engagement in the Noble County Parks and Recreation Summits allow stakeholders to grow together, to develop the skill sets needed to enhance marketing and promotion, enhance access to recreational opportunities, increase awareness, develop collaborations, leverage funding, and more - all to benefit end users of the county’s broad outdoor recreation offerings.
The Fall Summit will be held on October 11, 2023 at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, 2388 S 500 W, Albion. That gathering will focus on grant writing and social media marketing to help stakeholders enhance skillsets, establish, and pursue common objectives to promote outdoor recreation as a destination in Noble County. For more information, contact Grace Caswell at (260) 636-3602 or email noblecoparks@gmail.com.