By Phoebe Muthart
Staff Writer

Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee meeting was held Monday night, June 15. An update on the Conklin Bay project was discussed. A final walk through Friday, May 15 went well with minor issues being addressed.

The trail consists of one-third of a mile of boardwalk over the Rolland Wetland Conservation Area. It continues south with a concrete sidewalk of two-thirds of a mile along the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation nature preserve and ending at North Grandview Drive.

A donor wall and arched sign were discussed with Yentes showing drawings of some proposed ideas. The wall and sign will be located at the entrance to the boardwalk, near Harkless Drive.

“We are still getting prices on the donor wall and arch,” said Yentes, who is working with Heather Harwood, executive director of WACF, on getting quotes.

Two dog waste stations will be located along the concrete portion of the Conklin Bay Trail.

Cattails are growing along Conklin Bay. Committee members discussed ways to address the issue. Yentes said the cattail situation “needs to be addressed prior to the ribbon cutting.”

A video about Conklin Bay was filmed in April and was slated to be released prior to the project being complete. However, COVID-19 played a part in the delay of the final video. The committee is working on final revisions. Once the video is complete it will be on the trails’ website, Facebook, and YouTube.

“It will be a fundraising tool,” said Erlene Yentes, executive director.

The committee discussed a strategic plan. The Next Level Trails’ funding for rounds two and three are on hold.

“Where do we go next?” asked Yentes.

Grandview and Kern Road were two locations brought up at the monthly meeting. The trailhead by Polywood will need to be moved due to its expansion. A new field will be located on Kern Road, which prompted discussions on how to best connect the trail to Kern Road, Syracuse Elementary School and Wawasee High School.

Kay Young, the committee’s chairman, agreed stating, “Yes, we need to do future planning and maybe consider Grandview.”

In other news, the trails’ website is being redesigned. The home page has been recently updated by Benson Communications.

“It looks fresher and is more modern,” Yentes said. It is still a work in progress. To view the newly designed homepage on the website, visit www.syracusewawaseetrails.com.

Dr. Tom Edington, treasurer, gave May’s financial report.

Kudos was given to Angie Racolta for helping with the website, donor opportunities and designing invitations for the Conklin Bay ribbon cutting.

A ribbon cutting will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 30. Polo shirts and names tags have been ordered for committee members. The invitation list is being reviewed with 100 names currently on the list. The pavilion at WACF is reserved for the occasion.

A car cruise-in will be Aug. 2 at Oakwood. The newsletter will be done in late June or early July. It will be mailed to approximately 6,000 households.

The next meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday, July 20.