The Starke County Forest could soon host high school cross country meets. Starke County Park Board President Roger Chaffins brought up the idea during last week’s meeting, on behalf of board member Chris Lawrence, who was not in attendance. “He mentioned that we’d see if we’d be open to that,” Chaffins explained, “and if it would work, I don’t see why the schools couldn’t do something like that.”
The Starke County Forest will soon get a native plant garden. The recently-upgraded access road now ends at a circular parking loop, with an open space in the middle.
Preventing the erosion of the Bass Lake shoreline is the goal of a planned research effort. Resident Rick Anderson told the Starke County Park Board Tuesday that it’s a challenging issue, due to the lake’s big waves and hard winter ice, but there are a couple officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources who might have some ideas.
The Starke County Forest’s new access road is now complete. The County Highway Department recently upgraded the old access trail into a gravel road with a 10-to-12-car parking lot. The work was funded by a $15,000 grant from the Hardesty Memorial Endowment Fund.
Concerns about the safety of the Bass Lake Beach House patio have led Starke County officials to look into repairing it themselves. The patio was the topic of a heated discussion during Tuesday’s County Park Board meeting. Board member Debbie Mix said the facility’s operator, Callahan Development, LLC, still hasn’t made repairs that have been discussed for several months or longer.
A Stellar Community designation could be a way to bring improvements to the Bass Lake Beach. That was the suggestion given to the Starke County Park Board last week.
The Koontz Lake shoreline will be getting some new picnic tables, thanks to an anonymous donor and some help from the Starke County Park Board.
The Bass Lake Beach gate house may soon be getting some more upgrades. Much of the structure had to be repaired after a pickup truck reportedly crashed into it back in November.
Work has begun on the Starke County Forest’s new access road. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the Starke County Park Board Tuesday that his crews began the process earlier that day, working on clearing the site.
Upgrades at the Bass Lake Beach continue to move ahead. During Tuesday’s Starke County Park Board meeting, it was reported that the glacial stone has been installed, with some help from the Starke County Highway Department. The goal is to protect the facility from incoming waves and prevent future erosion.
As work gets underway to protect the Bass Lake Beach from future erosion, concerns remain about the beach house patio. Last summer, a group of local residents and Starke County Park Board members studied the site and pointed out that the fill that’s supposed to support the concrete patio had mostly washed away.
The North Judson Erie Trail will remain under the control of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum for the foreseeable future. The Starke County Park Board had approached the museum’s leaders about leasing the trail and operating it as a park facility. County officials hoped the lease would help reduce maintenance costs, increase grant opportunities, and encourage volunteers.
A project to reduce future erosion at the Bass Lake Beach is finally underway. During Tuesday’s Starke County Park Board meeting, President Roger Chaffins said that the delivery of glacial stone was set to begin yesterday. The goal is to protect the beach and patio from incoming waves.
The Starke County Park Board has been coordinating with the Starke County Highway Department about some upcoming projects, but Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler said he needed the commissioners’ permission to move forward in doing the projects.
The Starke County Commissioners held discussion on the operations at the Bass Lake Beach last week.
The president of the Starke County Park Board will soon give the county council members an update on projects after the request was made to do so last week.
The Starke County Forest appears to have been absolved from blame for flooding concerns in the local area. A letter from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources was presented to the Starke County Park Board last week. In it, an engineer in the department’s compliance and enforcement section addressed concerns apparently raised by a neighboring property owner.
Repairs to the Bass Lake Beach House seawall are getting underway. The Starke County Park Board has been working with Bass Lake Beach operator Callahan Development, LLC, as well as the County Highway Department, to fix the wall and try to prevent future damage.
Repairs to the Bass Lake Beach gate house have begun. The structure was seriously damaged when a pickup truck reportedly crashed into it back in November.
