Syracuse-Wawasee Trail Committee members Bob Smith, left, and LuAnn Leatherman look at the new trail brochures at the Monday, Oct. 15 meeting. Smith was also named Volunteer of the Month. (Photo by Phoebe Muthart)
SYRACUSE — A majority of the Monday, Oct. 15, Syracuse-Wawasee Trail Committee meeting centered on discussing the Conklin Bay project.
Among the topics discussed included Conklin Bay naming rights and donor recognition. Among the options are a donor wall, plaques and bricks.
Executive Director Megan McClellan will send a letter to all the people who have donated to the Conklin Bay project with an update by Oct. 19.
The county highway department told McClellan the trail committee has to have the striping along Cornelius and Warner roads done themselves. McClellan is talking to the county commissioners regarding this issue.
Dr. Tom Edington gave the September treasurer’s report. The donations totaled $600 and expenses were $82,333.08. Of the expenses, $50,000 was for the new Syracuse-Webster trail, pending county reimbursement. Another expense was for $23,974.63 for Pulver Asphalt Paving to do work for this new trail section. Another expense was $1,147 related to the Conklin Bay project.
McClellan gave the funds overview report, as of October. She will email the 2019 budget for the committee to review before the next meeting.
As far as storage space, the committee decided to rent a storage unit until a permanent home can be found for a storage shed. Storage is needed for signs and equipment, among other items.
Maintenance along the Cornelius boardwalk was discussed. Among the work that needs to be done is sealing the boardwalk. McClellan presented two estimates for sealing work but they are from 2016. She will obtain a third estimate as well as more current bids from the other two companies. Another concern is debris on the boardwalk and trail.
“We need to keep the trails usable,” said Bob Smith, who said he has spent considerable time cleaning up this section of the trail. “We need to do something to keep it clean.”
One option was to obtain a bid from a landscaping company to do the work.
The fall newsletter should be published in early November and will be sent to all homes in Turkey Creek Township.
The new trail brochures are ready to print. An example of the brochure was presented at the meeting. These brochures will be mailed with a letter and a return envelope to all people on the trail’s mailing list (approximately 350) at the end of November or early December.
Registration is open for Tour des Lakes, and there’s one registrant so far. The next Tour des Lakes meeting is not until January. The bike ride will be July 20, 2019.
Volunteer of the Month is Bob Smith.
Events
• A walk and yoga are at 9 a.m. Thursdays, at the Syracuse Library.
• Brooke Point Fall Carnival, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at Brooke Point Inn.
• Fall-tastic Trail Walk, noon to 4 p.m., Oct. 20-21, at WACF.
• Fall Tails and Trails, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Syracuse Community Center.
• Winter Warm-Up 5K, Jan. 26, at the old Syracuse Elementary School.
The next meeting date is at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19.