We are excited to announce the start of the Interurban Trail Phase 2 project, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Thursday, April 11, at 11 a.m. at Outdoor Concepts (2275 N Main). We are very grateful to Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Trails initiative for awarding us funds to complete the project, which is part of the bigger 81-mile Indiana Visionary Poka-Bache trail system. We are so thankful for the local support from donors and landowners who provided easements for this project to qualify for the grant match.
The work will begin at Lowes in mid-April, and excavation is expected to take around 45 days. Once that is complete, paving will begin in mid-June and can take around two weeks. Please stay alert and drive carefully around this area during construction.
At the same time the trail is being installed, work will begin on the improvements at Lancaster Park. Beginning April 9, a construction crew will place barricades and cones along the parking lot and start excavating around April 15. They will simultaneously rip up the old parking lot and dig the foundation for the new Pickleball Courts. The park will be closed to the public until the end of May, when a fence can be secured around the courts to allow them time to dry properly. The drying process will take another 30 days to open the courts. Follow the Bluffton Parks Facebook page for details of the park opening and future ribbon-cutting ceremony.
While we are updating you about projects, we should also let you know that the Wells Community Pool will have a new look this summer thanks to LS Construction/ LS Barn Builders. The old shake-siding has been removed, walls were framed, and new siding is about to be installed to freshen up the 50-year-old facility. We really appreciate this company, which has donated $5,000 worth of its own time and talent to make these improvements for basically the cost of the materials. We are so blessed to have community-minded businesses like this one that want the best for Bluffton.
As a reminder, the indoor tot time and weekday walking program ended last week. If your family enjoyed the benefits of the gym and would like to continue, we just discounted gym membership to only $75 for a single or $100 for the entire family.
Spring is the time for cleaning, and we want to thank Life Community Church for taking a crew of teens and adults to Roush Park to tidy up the diamonds and dugouts. We also want to thank Prairie Quest Consulting, which coordinated with local teens over spring break to clean the parks and trails. We love seeing youth get involved by taking care of the places they enjoy.
We are now close to covering the Kehoe Summer Concert series expenses thanks to a grant from the Wells County Foundation, which awarded $10,000 from the Ellen A. Gerbers Unrestricted Endowment Fund. We would also like to thank our recent donations from Family Ford of Bluffton, Isaac Stoller Steffen Group Real Estate & Auctions, National Oil, Almco Steel Products Corp, Bluffton Roofing Co, Bluffton Rotary Club, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel, Les Gerber Insurance, and Patti Troxel. This series would not be possible without these generous folks, and we can’t wait to see you all at the first concert starting June 7.
Have a great week!
