Syracuse-Wawasee Trail Newsletter

December, 2008

Things are happening on the Cornelius Road/Eastshore Drive segment. Erosion control barriers have been put into place.  The proper agencies have been notified that construction is underway.  Telephone wires have been raised and NIPSCO has re-configured pole supports at the necessary locations.  Interfering trees and brush along the route has been cleared.  Easement papers have been submitted to the property owners

The wing walls on the west side of the existing county bridge have been modified to accommodate the pedestrian bridge.  The bridge, which was ordered in late October, has been delivered to our contractor, Beer & Slabaugh. The supports which will hold the bridge have been driven, new retaining wall sections have been poured and the extension and relocation of the guard rail along Eastshore Dr. (south of the railroad crossing) is in process.

After this work is completed the bridge components will be delivered to the site where they will be assembled.  Once the bridge is in place, the supports for the boardwalk sections will be driven.  The boardwalk sections will be constructed at Beer & Slabaugh’s Nappanee facility and trucked to the Trail site to be put into place.  The County Highway Department is going through the necessary procedures in order to get a new stop sign approved and erected at the Cornelius Road/Eastshore Drive intersection.

In the spring, the paving of the balance of the segment will be started.

The issue of the chronic flooding of Cornelius Road by the east corner of the Wawasee Boat Company has not been resolved and, therefore, we are not able to get our permit from the County Highway Department

Based on communication received today, it would appear that the deeding of the requested parcel of the Parker-Hannifin property is imminent.  More on that later.

There’s good and bad news.  The bad news is that we did not receive the INDOT TE Grant money we had requested. The good news may be that we did not receive the INDOT TE Grant.  In that the grant monies won’t be distributed until 2012 and considering the degree of engineering required by INDOT, we think that there is a chance that we might be able to build some of the Route 13 segment sooner and for less money.  Dave Brandes is capably overseeing this segment.

In reflecting on our progress in 2008 (our 6th year promoting Trails), it is appropriate to thank all the people who have been so involved helping our project move forward.  Thankfully, there has been so much involvement that the list would be too long to include you all in this newsletter. ..with two exceptions.

Both have been involved in our Trails project from before day one. Both have decided to step down from the Park Foundation Board of Directors at the end of 2008.  Both are giants with regard to their involvement and their accomplishments in our Lakes Area community.  Their fingerprints can be seen, in one form or another, on about all of the area improvements made over the past twenty-plus years. They are, of course, the DAVIDs…….Grandstaff and Lichtenauer. “Thanks” is hardly sufficient but we say it sincerely and with deep appreciation.

Happy Holidays, everyone.  Let’s build some more Trail in ’09.