We are beyond ecstatic to announce that the Bluffton Parks Department has been awarded the Land Water Conservation Fund grant to develop Lancaster Park! This highly competitive grant usually has a maximum limit of $500,000, but as fortune would have it, extra funds were available, so our award was increased to $608,270!!!
This project has been a long journey and wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community and many generous donors. We want to thank Northern Wells Community Schools for the land donation that also served as matching funds for the grant and the Wells County Foundation for holding the property on our behalf per the grant requirements. We want to express our deepest gratitude to the following donors who made this park possible:
Major Donors: Dave & Kris Troxel; Patti Troxel and In Memory of Dick Troxel; Caylor-Nickel Foundation;
Chip & Kim Mann
Donors: Indiana Physical Therapy; National Oil & Gas; Greg and Rachel Roembke and Family; Roger and Marge Thornton and Family
Contributors: Richard and Marilyn Kleinknight
Park amenities include a half-mile walking path with benches, a pavilion with restrooms and a water fountain, a dual-use football/soccer field, 9-hole dual-use disc golf/foot golf course, two sand volleyball courts, a playground, a Gaga ball court, a giant human foosball court, two sets of cornhole boards, solar-powered charging station, bike repair station, a trailhead seating area with a fire pit, and the Dick & Dave Troxel lighted basketball court. Plans are currently in review, and if all goes well, the project will start next spring.
The timing for this park will coincide with the extension of the Interurban Trail that was recently awarded through a Next Level Trails grant. We are thrilled to see both projects move forward simultaneously and would like to thank the donors for providing matching funds for the Trail grant.
Major Donors: Wells County Foundation; Caylor-Nickel Foundation
Donors: Teachers Credit Union; Steven and Yvette Huggins; Dave & Kris Troxel; Patti Troxel and In Memory of Dick Troxel
Contributors: Robert Troxel Premier Truck Rental; First Bank of Berne; Wells County Trails; Adamswells Internet Telecom TV; Honegger, Ringger & Co, Inc; Bluffton Animal Clinic; Family Ford of Bluffton; General Manufacturing; Coldwell Banker Holloway; Moose Lodge, Inc Bluffton 242; Brad and Molly Hoag; Gerald and Diann Tonner; & An Anonymous Donor
This has been an exciting year for us to bring over a million dollars of grant funds to Bluffton. We appreciate the support from Mayor Whicker, the City Council, and District 1 Councilman Roger Thornton, who actively advocated, raised, and assisted with both of these projects. We would also like to thank our grant writer, Lori Shipman, our DNR grant coordinator Erica Gummere, and Engineering Resources, who have been wonderful to work with.
Wells County Trails will hold a public meeting regarding the potential of a trail on SR 124 connecting to the existing Interurban Trail (Poka-Bache Connector) on Main Street (SR 1). The meeting will be held this Thursday, September 29, at 7:00 p.m. at the Kingdom Academy of Bluffton, 225 Ferguson Park Ct. The purpose of this meeting is to have an open discussion regarding the mobility needs of the affected neighborhood, potential trail routes, trail design, and timeline. All are welcome to attend.
Have a great week!
