Leesburg Town Council member Christina Archer speaks at the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board meeting on Thursday, Aug. 21. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Leesburg has the support of the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board regarding a proposed walking path.

At its meeting on Thursday, Aug. 21, the board approved sending a letter of support to the state regarding Leesburg applying for an Indiana Department of Natural Resources grant for the project.

Leesburg is also hoping to get Community Amenities Program grant money for the path, which is derived from the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative funds the state gave OrthoWorx.

Speaking regarding the project Thursday were Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe and Leesburg Town Council member Christina Archer.

Roe said state representatives said Leesburg having the letter from the parks board “shows county support and the connection to the larger blueway-greenway trail.”

She noted the trail’s purpose was for exercise for people and safety for kids walking to Leesburg Elementary School as it would connect there.

Archer said the planned path was estimated to be 8 to 10 feet wide.

She said the path should “begin on SR 15 … on the south side of Prairie Street down as far as the railroad track, then it would cross the railroad track onto the Base Line Road or Old SR 15.”

“From there it will be on the west side (of the road),” she added. “It would continue on that side until you get down to that stop that’s a three-way, because it tees there. There’s the school on one corner and the firehouse on the other.”

“You would go past Armstrong Road and then the intersection would cross … right after that to go onto the school grounds,” said Archer.

In other business, the board:

• Approved a payment of $259,209.26 to Niblock for the Chinworth Trail project and planned to have a ribbon-cutting for the project sometime after Labor Day. Paving for the project is complete.
• Heard that board member Troy Turley gave a county update to the Ride+Walk Advisory Committee as that group is trying to have a more countywide focus.

The board’s next meeting is 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom.