Members of the Marshall County Park and Recreation Board have agreed to reimburse a volunteer who has been mowing at the Trails at Mill Pond and in the Memorial Forest. 

Last month Park Board Secretary Deb VanDeMark suggested reimbursing Dan Haas for the fuel cost and wear and tear on his lawn tractor for volunteering to mow at the two county parks.  VanDeMark said she needed to have a written request for the reimbursement. 

During the August meeting, VanDeMark presented the written request noting the hours he volunteered mowing.  The average was about 12 hours a month.  The board tried to determine the amount of fuel he would use and the wear and tear on his vehicle and voted to give him $50 a mow as a reimbursement for costs. 

Board member Brian Main from Bremen said Haas is saving the Park and Rec Board a lot of money by volunteering to mow. 

It was specifically spelled out that the funds are reimbursement for fuel and maintenance on his personal mower. 

In other business Brandon Cooper, a member of the Mill Pond Trails committee told members the trails are getting lots of use.  On a recent stop at the trails, he identified vehicles from Starke County, Miami County, Porter County, and Marshall County.  He also said there were people riding bikes but also some walking the pets on the trails. 

A trail cam was installed to help count the number of people using the trail.