By BARBARA BARBIERI
Ouabache State Park’s most recent Lunch and Learn session featured a program all about Wells County Trails, presented by the group’s president Michael Lautzenheizer Jr.
Lautzenheizer open his remarks by explaining that Wells County Trails is a not-for-profit group that has the vision of “providing starting points and destinations, connecting people and places one trail at a time throughout Wells County and beyond.”
The group’s mission, he said, “is to collaborate with local government agencies and citizens to develop a cohesive network of multipurpose trails throughout Wells County.”
As the group’s president he explained that among his goals are to promote the existing 32 miles of existing trails in the county and look into the creation of new ones. That includes having trail maps and driving directions available. A video series includes scenes from all of the trails in the county.
Current projects and future ones include the Lancaster Park loop from the Interurban Trail, Interurban Trail crosswalks (being worked on now), formal connection between the Rivergreenway and Interurban trails (near Hardee’s in Bluffton), sidewalk improvement, and Ind. 124 trail and road bike routes.
Goals of the group include reviewing potential trail expansion opportunities and create a priority list for trail expansions, mapping and publicizing the list, completing preliminary engineering to determine the feasibility of the trail expansions, and secure funding from local government funds, grants, foundation and private sources.
Other officers of Wells Community Trails are Cory Mann, vice president; Kent Koteskey, secretary; and Tammy Slater, treasurer. Board members include Blake Gerber, Vicki Andrew, John Whicker, Thom Miller, Janella Stronczek, Doug Sundling, Brandy Fiechter and one open seat. Lautzenheizer encouraged anyone interested in being a board member to apply to www.wellscountytrail.org/about “Board of Directors Application.”
Also discussed were the area’s “blueways” which include river access points to the Wabash and Salamonie rivers and caring for them. This includes kayak launch sites located every three hours or so beginning at Linn Grove to east of Markle. In the works is a launch site at Vera Cruz.
barb@news-banner.com
