County Park Board Accepts Donations & Approves Payment of Claims

Members of the Marshall County Park and Recreation Board met Thursday evening, August 5^th in the second-floor meeting room of the County Building. 

Board Secretary Deb VanDeMark presented two donations for approval, $1,000 from Jim Masterson earmarked for the West Township Trustee Log Cabin and $150 from AK Industries for the Trails at Mill Pond to assist with the Boy Scout Josiah Duff’s Eagle Scout kiosk project.  She also presented a claim in the amount of $201.27 from Michael Duff, father of Josiah for materials purchased at Lowes for material.  A second claim was presented by Brandon Calhoun to reimburse him for the purchase of a trail mower at $150. The County Park Board approved the donations and claims. 

The Memorial Forest Parking lot has been cleaned out so you can see it from State Road 17.  There is a brush pile about 15 feet by 15 feet and 5 feet high from the cleanout.  There was discussion on what to do with it or how to remove it.  There was a suggestion to burn and also letting it decompose and, in the meantime, it would be used as a wildlife habitat.  VanDeMark said it really needs to be relocated from its current location. Park Board members were willing to volunteer their time and manpower to assist with relocation the brush pile.   

Board Chairman Greg Hildebrand said they had another issue with trash dumping.  He said this is an ongoing issue although this time it wasn’t as big.   There was a suggestion to gate off the lane of 14^th Road, not the main parking area, but where they are driving in.  The gate will keep them visible from the road so hopefully it will detouring any more dumping.