Starke County Park Board to Discuss Bass Lake Beach Upgrades, Five-Year Plan

Bass Lake CampgroundOngoing improvements at the Bass Lake Beach and Campground will be discussed during this evening’s Starke County Park Board meeting. Lessee Richard Callahan and his attorney Dave Wallsmith are expected to give board members an update on the site’s progress.

Tonight, park board members also plan to discuss a five-year plan for the county’s park facilities. To help with that effort, County Attorney Marty Lucas has been putting together a list of properties that could potentially fall under the park board’s jurisdiction.

The county plans to enlist the help of the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission to find a planner and secure funding for the planning process. The five-year plan is expected to increase the number of grant opportunities available for the county’s park facilities. The park board will also discuss the possibility of adopting a mission statement to help guide the planning process.

In other business, the park board will get an update on the Starke County Forest. A “beaver tube” has recently been installed to help improve drainage at the site. If that doesn’t work, the county may try to trap the beavers. However, forest manager Bruce Wakeland has suggested that dredging a ditch in the area would be a better solution.

Tonight’s Starke County Park Board meeting starts at 6:00 at the Starke County Annex Building.