DNR Official Corrects Statements About Camping at Bass Lake

Posted on Author WKVI

Bass Lake CampgroundA telephone call from WKVI News to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has brought more clarity to the question of whether seasonal campsite leases are allowed at Bass Lake Beach and Campground. Bob Bronson is the section chief for the DNR Division of Outdoor Recreation. He originally told us camping is limited to two weeks at a time at properties like Bass Lake, which get funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Act. Bronson has since spoken to officials with the National Park Service and learned otherwise.

“There is no policy on the length of how long you can camp. The state has policies and recommendations, but the funding source and Land and Water Conservation Act does not direct how long somebody can stay at a campground,” Bronson told WKVI News late Thursday. Continue reading →

Season Wrapping Up at Bass Lake Beach and Campground

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Bass Lake Beach and Campground will soon close for the season. Manager Richard Callahan and his attorney Dave Wallsmith advised the Starke County Commissioners last night the group piers have been removed from the beach area and all but a few boats are out of the water. Wallsmith also told the commissioners he has not gotten any complaints about the amenities of late and has received complements about how nice and well maintained the facilities are. Continue reading →

Commissioners Prepare Packets for Park Board Members

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

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.

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Starke County Council, Commissioners Make Park Board Appointments

Posted on Author WKVI

starke-county-courthouseThe recently formed Starke County Park Board is two members away from being populated. The county council appointed Democrat Rosemary Rose and Republican Debbie Mix to the five-member panel. The commissioners named Marsha Bedrock as their appointee. Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall has the remaining two appointments to the board. State law requires him to appoint one Democrat and one Republican. All five initial terms will be staggered. The council appointees will serve for two and four years, the commissioners appointee for two and the judge’s appointees for one and three years. Continue reading →

Nominations Sought for Starke County Park Board

Posted on Author WKVI
The Bass Lake Beach and Campground are among the amenities the Starke County Park Board will oversee.
The Bass Lake Beach and Campground are among the amenities the Starke County Park Board will oversee.

Starke County officials are seeking nominations for volunteers to serve on the county park board. Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall and the Starke County Council each have two nominations – one Democrat and one Republican. The Starke County Commissioners will select the fifth member. Political affiliation is not a consideration for the commissioners nominee. Continue reading →

Fate of Bass Lake Seasonal Camping in Park Board’s Hands

Posted on Author WKVI
Bass Lake Beach
The Starke County Park Board will oversee Bass Lake Beach and Campground

The future of seasonal camping at the Bass Lake Beach and Campground is in the hands of the five yet-to-be-named Starke County Park Board members. The county commissioners previously announced plans to limit camping to 15 days at a time after this season concludes but have not yet sent a formal notice to manager Richard Callahan and his attorney David Wallsmith. They contend those statements have caused damage to the business, as many campers are uncertain whether they will be able to return next year. Continue reading →

Monthly Bass Lake Beach Report on Commissioners Agenda

Posted on Author WKVI

starke-county-courthouseThe Starke County Commissioners will get their monthly management report for the Bass Lake Beach and Campground when they meet this evening. Manager Richard Callahan and his attorney Dave Wallsmith are first on the agenda for tonight’s 7 p.m. meeting at the Starke County Annex Building. The commissioners voted recently to limit camping to 15 days instead of allowing season-long leasing of campsites. Continue reading →

Starke County Commissioners Crack Down on Bass Lake Campground

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The year-round campsite leases at the Bass Lake Beach and Campground run afoul of the guidelines under which the state turned the property over to the county. The Land and Water Conservation Fund does not allow for permanent enclosed structures like campers to be placed on public campsites. President of the Commissioners Jennifer Davis advised Bass Lake Beach and Campground manager Richard Callahan and his attorney, David Wallsmith, that the practice will no longer be allowed. Continue reading →

Starke County Commissioners Weighing Beach Options

Posted on Author WKVI

starke-county-courthouseThe Starke County Commissioners will have some pointed questions for Bass Lake Beach and Campground Manager Richard Callahan and his attorney, David Wallsmith, when they meet tonight. They attend the evening meetings each month and give a management report. During the July 7 commissioners meeting, several residents complained about the conditions at the beach and campground over the Independence Day weekend. Continue reading →

Starke County Council Tables Park Board Consideration

Posted on Author WKVI

starke-county-courthouseStarke County Council members want more information about costs associated with setting up a park board before agreeing to do so. Tony Radkiewicz chairs the county park board committee, which was set up to gather information. Their proposed mission statement indicates there will not be a cost to the county to provide oversight to Bass Lake Beach and Campground, the Starke County Forest and other publicly dedicated lands not under municipal control. The board would be comprised of volunteer members with a personal interest in parks and recreation and a desire to be proactive in service to the community. Continue reading →

Bass Lake Beach and Campground Set to Open for Season

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The manager of Bass Lake Beach and Campground assures the Starke County Commissioners the amenities will be ready for business over the Memorial Day weekend.

Richard Callahan and his attorney Dave Wallsmith provided the first of what will be monthly status reports for the properties during last night’s commissioners meeting. Wallsmith says a car hit the fence on the campground side, and the weight of snow tossed by plow trucks damaged the fence on the beach side. Both will need to be replaced with materials that meet current code standards.

Continue reading →

Beach and Campground Report on Starke County Commissioners Agenda

Posted on Author WKVI

starke-county-courthouseThe Starke County Commissioners will get their first status report of 2014 from the manager of Bass Lake Beach and Campground when they meet this evening. Richard Callahan has a contract with the county to manage the amenities. He and his attorney, Dave Wallsmith, are first on the agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting. Starke County EMS Director Paul Matthewson will also discuss his desire to add a paramedic at the North Judson base to provide better emergency medical response for the county. Other items on the agenda include approval of a uniform contract for the highway department and modification of the county’s nepotism policy to mirror recent changes in state law. County attorney Marty Lucas told the commissioners at their last meeting that the county’s policy is more strict than what the state has on the books. Continue reading →

County Council Appoints Park and Recreation Board Committee

Posted on Author WKVI
Bass Lake Beach
Bass Lake Beach

Bass Lake Beach is closed for the season, and overnight camping will not be allowed at the campground during the winter months. That’s the decision of the Starke County Commissioners. Richard Callahan will continue to manage the two attractions. The county council is in the process of establishing a park and recreation board to oversee the management of the beach and campground and other non-municipal parks. For now a study committee chaired by county councilman Tony Radkiewicz and comprised of councilman Marvin McLaughlin, commissioner Kathy Norem and county attorney Marty Lucas will decide how to proceed with setting up that panel.

Starke Commissioners to Discuss Fate of Bass Lake Campground in Executive Session

Posted on Author WKVI

Bass Lake Beach
Bass Lake Beach
The Starke County Commissioners will soon meet in an executive session to discuss the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, specifically the question of whether or not the attraction’s current managers are maintaining and operating it appropriately. Richard Callahan and his attorney, Dave Wallsmith, approached the commissioners at their meeting this week to give them a report on how the beach has been doing but the discussion soon led into the question of whether or not the lease should be invalidated.

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Inspections Results Awaited Regarding Bass Lake Beach and Campground

Posted on Author WKVI

Bass Lake Beach
Bass Lake Beach
The Starke County Commissioners are eagerly awaiting the results of the state inspection conducted at the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, and according to Commissioner Kathy Norem, those results should be in before their next commissioners meeting, planned for Monday, Aug. 19. She said the campground had previously been cited for a number of sanitary violations but campground management claims they have corrected those. Since then, a number of other violations sprung up, and those, too, are claimed to have been corrected.

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Starke Commissioners Receive Bass Lake Beach Update

Posted on Author WKVI

Bass Lake Beach
Bass Lake Beach
The Starke County Commissioners received a report regarding the Bass Lake Beach and Campground during their regular meeting yesterday morning and were informed by County Sanitarian Chris Dalton that all violations that had been found at the business have been addressed and corrected. Dalton presented two inspection reports, one from July 30 and one from the following day; the first report indicated seven violations that needed addressed, while the second report cut that list down to three.

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