The five members of the Starke County Park Board will have plenty of reading material prior to their first meeting. The Starke County Commissioners are sending them welcome packets, which will include copies of the state statute under which the board was formed and the state law pertaining to camping on public properties. One of their first challenges will be to decide whether to allow year-round camping at Bass Lake Beach and Campground. The park board members will also get a copy of the management lease between the county and Richard Callahan. The board is charged with oversight and management of the Starke County Forest and other county-owned public lands.
Board members include Mike Meadows, Skyler Ellinger, Debbie Mix, Rosemary Rose and Marsha Bedrock. A date for their first meeting has not been set. The commissioners advised Bedrock is making those arrangements. During the first meeting the board will elect officers. By establishing a park board, the county may also qualify for various grant funds. That information will be shared as well.
