The Starke County Park Board members opened a public input session Tuesday night for people to give feedback on what they would like to see in the five-year Master Parks Plan when it comes to park systems in the county and at Bass Lake.
Heidi Albaugh from the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission led the informal input process where several residents were able to write on poster-sized pieces of paper about what they like about the county parks, what they do not like about the parks and other ideas to include in the five-year Master Parks Plan.
Several residents were in attendance to give feedback.
Preliminary feedback was also given on the survey that about 260 Starke County residents have taken. The survey is available here.
Albaugh noted that the survey targets the county-owned parks in the Starke County Forest and the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, but Park Board Member Kathy Norem would like to see feedback on the Koontz Lake and San Pierre areas and what residents want to see there. Albaugh said another survey would be created for those areas which will be available on the county’s website at www.co.starke.in.us or at the Starke County Auditor’s Office in the Starke County Annex No. 1 building in Knox. That survey may be available next week.
The preliminary results from the current survey shows that residents would like more hiking and biking opportunities in trails at the county parks, cross country skiing, and canoeing/kayaking opportunities. Specifically at the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, residents would like to see pavilions with grills, improvements to the restrooms, aluminum docks, more food and drink choices, and improve curbside appeal.
The input will be included in a draft version of the plan to be presented in January for preliminary feedback by the Department of Natural Resources with the final plan to be submitted in mid-April.
The five-year Master Parks Plan allows the Starke County Park Board to be eligible for available grants for projects included in the plan.
