The Starke County Park Board has hired an outside firm to help figure out where to install kayak launches along the Yellow River. Board members voted Tuesday to hire Jones Petrie Rafinski to conduct a feasibility study, at a cost of just under $4,000. That was about $3,000 cheaper than the other proposal the county received.
There’s already land dedicated for that purpose at Range Road, but it isn’t quite large enough. County Commissioner Kathy Norem told the park board that Dr. Walter Fritz is still willing to let the county use some of his land at State Road 23, something that’s been discussed for several years. “His idea was to give it to the county, the park board or the county government, whatever, for a dollar, to give an easement in perpetuity,” Norem explained. “And I said, ‘Well, I think that’d be wonderful,’ and he said he thinks there’s enough room there to put some picnic tables, too.”
County Attorney Marty Lucas said that site has an added advantage of being near a particularly good example of a remaining black oak savanna.
Board Member Rik Ritzler explained that the study would help the board sort through the available sites and establish short-term goals for one or two launches, as well as long-term goals to tie them in with other counties’ efforts. Last year, the park board got $5,000 from the Hardesty Memorial Endowment Fund for a Yellow River access point, but it hasn’t been able to use that money yet, since the location hasn’t been finalized.
